AOC and squad rally outside DNC to pressure Biden into embracing Green New Deal

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The progressive lawmakers belonging to the “Squad” took to the steps of the DNC on Thursday to demand President-elect Joe Biden implement the Green New Deal, transforming the U.S. economy to combat climate change and creating thousands of jobs in renewable energy.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said the power of the people and movements are behind their demands: “We are all here today because of the movement... because at the end of the day, dollars don’t vote, people do”

To ensure a livable future, the group demanded the people ensure that the Biden administration acts on the deal.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said, “This is a movement built out of the urgency people feel to protect our planet”

The left-wing group Sunrise Movement broadcast the event online with the hashtag #BidenBeBrave.

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The Biden camp has previously stated that he “will work with Congress to implement a bold agenda that addresses the climate emergency, achieves environmental justice and creates good-paying jobs.″

The Green New Deal is an economic stimulus concept designed to tackle income inequality and climate change. It’s modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal package of public works programs and projects created to help the economy during the Great Depression.

A draft text of the plan circulating Congress includes a framework aimed at eliminating greenhouse gas emission from manufacturing and agriculture and “dramatically” expanding energy sources to meet 100 percent of power demand through renewable sources. The proposal describes this effort as a “historic opportunity to virtually eliminate poverty in the United States and to make prosperity, wealth and economic security available to everyone participating in the transformation.”

The proposal also calls for a job-guarantee program offering a “living wage job to every person who wants one,” a plan to aid workers affected by climate change, universal health care and basic income programs, among other things.