It’s green in more ways than one.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a group of progressive lawmakers on Thursday reinstated the Green New Deal for public housing legislation. The law aims to reduce carbon emissions by building more public housing and targeting things like gas stoves.
“We have to get back to the era of rebuilding public housing in America. And we have to reject the idea that that’s a violation of policy,” said Ocasio-Cortez, D-Calif. New York State) announced this at a press conference.
The bill would invest up to $234 billion over the next 10 years to further the goal of expanding and transitioning the entire U.S. public housing stock to zero-carbon housing.
There are many items on the far left’s wish list, including efforts to electrify household appliances.
This includes replacing “fossil fuel-dependent equipment such as gas stoves and water heaters,” adding solar panels, and deploying “electric vehicle charging infrastructure for public housing residents.”
Electric cars are known to tend to be 25% more demanding for drivers than traditional cars. According to the green car. Other objectives of the social housing bill include the construction of “solar glass windows” and “renewable energy rooftops.”
“Having people pay 40, 50, 60 percent of their paychecks in rent is plantation capitalism,” Rep. Jamal Bowman (D-N.Y.) tweeted at a press conference. “The upper limit on rent should be 20%.” [salary]”
“A Green New Deal for public housing is a form of reparation for marginalized communities.”
The bill is almost certain to die once it reaches the Republican-controlled House.
Ocasio-Cortez’s effort to revive the bill is similar to one she supported in 2021, with 55 House Democrats including Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) Eight senators support it.
“Our elders matter, and so do our brothers and sisters with disabilities. And we are tired of them being priced out of our communities and treated as disposable parts of society.” Ocasio-Cortez added.
It is estimated that at least 1.7 million Americans live in public housing. According to the Biden administration. An estimated 11.3 million households must pay more than 50% of their income towards housing costs. Hit Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Research.
Supporters of the Green New Deal for Public Housing say it would create 280,000 union jobs and reduce carbon emissions by 5.7 million tons each year.
This equates to 1.26 million cars off the road.
The bill also seeks to address the roughly $70 billion public housing maintenance backlog and address “racial injustice.”
One of the important changes to the current law is that Faircloth Amendmentimposing limits on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s ability to build new public housing.
The Faircloth amendment, a long-standing grievance among progressives, prohibits the expansion of public housing beyond 1999 levels (about 1.8 million units).
“We need to mobilize millions of people to demand decent, affordable housing for all Americans while simultaneously addressing the existential crisis of climate change.” declared Mr. Sanders.
Funds included in the bill would help build new child care facilities and senior centers, strengthen clean transportation, and create more resident councils to give public housing residents more input on housing decisions. will also be used.
“Housing is a human right,” lawmakers supporting the bill chanted during Thursday’s announcement.
Other senators supporting the proposal include Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.), and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). , Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Peter Welch (D-Vermont). .
“We are in the midst of a housing crisis and a climate crisis, and addressing both requires bold investments from the federal government,” Warren said in a statement, adding that the bill would “fund nearly 1 million homes. of public housing will be converted to zero-carbon energy.” -Efficient housing. ”
Although the Green New Deal for public housing legislation will almost certainly fail in the House, progressives see it as an attempt to change political discourse, especially within the Democratic Party.
“I want to send this message very clearly, not only to everyone in Congress, but also to the Democratic leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez continued.
“There are many things to deal with, such as social mortgages and interest rates, but a real housing policy must include a commitment to full social housing.”
Last week, Sanders renewed another longstanding goal of the far left, pushing for a 32-hour work week nationwide.
President Biden announced a mortgage tax credit for prospective homebuyers during his State of the Union address and has been promoting it ever since.
The Green New Deal for Public Housing legislation goes even further in size and scope. The White House has been reluctant to support ultra-progressive legislation.
During her early years in Congress, Ocasio-Cortez famously championed what she called the Green New Deal. She unsuccessfully tried in 2019 to pass a series of policy resolutions for sweeping green energy reform.
Critics blasted her approach, arguing that achieving all of the goals set out in the Green New Deal plan would cost trillions of dollars.
