‘Biden, you coward, fight for us’: Progressives slam lack of climate action

Progressive Democrats and environmental activists protested in front of the White House on Monday, demanding that President Biden jettison a bipartisan infrastructure bill in favor of a “bold” party-line package that devotes tens of billions of dollars to fighting climate change.

The protest, which was organized by the avowedly liberal group, the Sunrise Movement, brought more than a hundred activists to the streets of Washington. Many of those in attendance came brandishing signs urging Mr. Biden to make good on his 2020 campaign platform and take significant steps to combat climate change.

“The sign says it all,” a young activist told The Washington Times while holding up a placard that read: “Biden you coward fight for us.”

Those in attendance, in particular, hope Mr. Biden will jettison the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package he negotiated last week with a group of bipartisan senators, one that focuses heavily on traditional projects such as roads and bridges as well as broadband connectivity. Throughout the event, the activists chanted, “No climate, no deal.” 

Instead of working with Republicans, the protesters want the White House and congressional Democrats to go it alone and pass an even larger package that includes major spending on what they call “human infrastructure.” The latter includes job training for felons, expanded child care and extensive “climate justice” provisions.

“Climate justice is ending all new fossil-fuel projects in the United States, and ending our support for the cause of the crisis in projects abroad,” the Sunrise Movement said in a statement released ahead of the protest. “Climate justice is spending this decade ensuring clean air and drinkable water, safe homes and good jobs, across racial, class and generational lines.”

Rallying the protesters were members of the far-left “Squad” — a quartet of high-profile progressive Democratic House members who have helped lead the fight for more climate money.

“What we are here to tell them is that you can’t break this promise to us anymore,” said  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat and one of the event’s speakers. “They are setting up a world that they won’t have to live in, that’s why this matters.”

After marching through downtown Washington, some of the protesters attempted to block access to the White House before dispersing.

The protest comes as Democrats are increasingly divided over Mr. Biden’s negotiating strategy on how to get an infrastructure deal through a closely divided Congress.

Progressives,including those speaking at the protest on Monday, feel as if the deal does not go far enough. Many believe that Mr. Biden has given too much to Republicans to forge a compromise, and fear that a second bill including only spending for liberal priorities will never survive on Capitol Hill.

Instead of working across the aisle, progressives argue, the White House and Democrats should move forward on their own using budget reconciliation. The process allows spending bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority of 51 votes.

“The truth of the matter is we’re not fighting for something that we just want because it sounds good,” said Rep. Cori Bush, Missouri Democrat. “We’re fighting for what we need so that we can survive, so our planet survives.”

As part of the effort, progressives have pledged to withhold support from the bipartisan infrastructure deal — unless a climate-heavy reconciliation package passes in tandem.

“There ain’t going to be an infrastructure bill unless we have a reconciliation bill passed by the Senate,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a press conference last week. “We’re not bringing it to the floor unless both bills pass in the Senate.”

Reconciliation, though, is a path fraught with political difficulty. Democrats only have marginal control of the Senate, which is tied 50-50, because of the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Such a narrow margin means that reconciliation will need the support of all 50 Democrats. At the moment it is unclear if that will happen. Key moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia are taking a wait-and-see approach.

While Mr. Manchin has said reconciliation is “inevitable,” the senator told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday he was likely to only support a modest bill that is paid for by repealing the Trump-era tax cuts.

It is unclear if that will be enough to pacify progressives and groups like the Sunrise Movement.

“We elected you. The youth vote carried the election,” the group said on Monday. “If you are going to negotiate on our lives and [the] livability of our planet, negotiate with us.”