With a slim majority in Congress and a focus on the pandemic, Democrats are not making the legislative goals of the Green New Deal immediate priorities.
In the Senate, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is a brake on enacting many aspects of the Green New Deal, outlined in a resolution passed by the House in 2019. He was one of four Democrats who helped block the resolution in the Senate. And in the new 50-50 Senate he could hold a deciding vote on any further measures. Moreover, he has vowed to block any change in debate rules that would allow more legislation to pass on a simple majority vote. “I will not vote” for that, he told Politico on Jan. 25.
Many Green New Deal goals would need such legislation to have the broad, lasting impact its backers seek.
President Biden has outlined related but more conservative goals, including net zero emissions by 2050.