The “Green New Deal” is officially titled ”Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal” (H.Res. 109 and S.Res.59). These resolutions, if passed, would not change any law, but express the sentiment that it is “the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.”
The resolution calls for a lot of big changes, but it doesn’t specify how to make them happen, only that they should happen. The Green New Deal is laughably vague, making bold promises and ignoring economic, social, and fiscal costs.
Liberals appear to believe that they can legislate free, green energy into existence. Their Green New Deal is more pipe dream than actual plan.
Here are some the wildest provisions in the Green New Deal (all quoted text below is directly from H.Res. 109 and S.Res.59):
- Calls for a complete wipeout of the fossil fuel industry by 2030, which employs millions of Americans, with its provision of “meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources…”
- Effectively eliminates air travel in favor of “high-speed rail” by calling for an overhaul of “transportation systems in the United States to remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.” The liberal bastion of California tried and failed to implement a high-speed rail—they canceled their plan in 2019 because it would cost too much and take too long.
- Guarantees free college to all Americans at the expense of taxpayers with its provision to provide “resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States.” While rising tuition costs is a concern, completely free tuition hurts students and would increase deficit spending.
- Implements government run health care and decimates the private health insurance market by providing “all people of the United States with high-quality health care.” Government controlled health care would hand the reigns of American’s medical care over to Washington bureaucrats, reducing the quality of care. The Green New Deal is just a blur between an environmental proposal and a government takeover of health care, which alone is expected to cost over $32 trillion in the first 10 years.
- Pushes foreign investment in America elsewhere by ignoring the economic advantages of natural gas. In the last decade, it is estimated that natural gas has spurred investment of over $200 billion. The Green New Deal seeks to undo all this by calling for “zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing.”
- Imposes government overreach into the private sector and threatens the ability of the free market to flourish independent of federal regulation with its provision to ensure “a commercial environment where every businessperson is free from unfair competition and domination by domestic or international monopolies.” The left has continually called for greater government involvement in the private sector and the Green New Deal is yet another attempt to do just that, while disavowing the successes of a free and open market.
- Reorders the American way of life towards socialism and ensures a reliance on government-run programs. One section asserts that “it is the duty of the Federal Government to… create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States.” A federal jobs guarantee is not the solution to getting Americans to work. The government’s role is to enforce the rule of law and create a regulatory environment where private industry and markets have the freedom to pursue innovation and to flourish.
- With all these free giveaways, experts expect this egregious proposal will cost somewhere between $46 and $81 trillion. This is an enormous financial burden on taxpayers and a nation already deeply in debt. It’s estimated that each American household’s share of the national debt would skyrocket by upwards of $600,000.
The Green New Deal lacks clarity on the specifics, but it’s crystal clear on the broad strokes—It aims to hand the federal government complete control of the energy, health care, and education industries. It will squeeze out private industry, impose government control, and run up the government debt.