Isn't the point of a bill for it to be voted on?
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who co-wrote the Green New Deal along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), is accusing Republicans of dirty politics for bringing the bill to a vote in the Senate.
Despite the fact that the goal of authoring legislation is presumably to see it voted on, Markey has taken offense to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's move to force lawmakers to take an on-record stance on the controversial bill.
"Don't let Mitch McConnell fool you: this is nothing but an attempt to sabotage the movement we are building," Markey wrote on Twitter. "He wants to silence your voice so Republicans don't have to explain why they are climate change deniers. McConnell wants this to be the end, this is just the beginning.
"This isn't a new Republican trick," Markey continued. "By rushing a vote on the #GreenNewDeal resolution, Republicans want to avoid a true national debate & kill our efforts to organize. We're having the first national conversation on climate change in a decade. We can't let Republicans sabotage it."
McConnell announced Tuesday that he planned to bring the Green New Deal to a vote.
"I've noted with great interest the Green New Deal," McConnell said. "And we're going to be voting on that in the Senate. Give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal."
Although Markey wants a continuing "true national debate" about the Green New Deal, the resolution's run in the public eye has not gone very well so far.
Last week, an FAQ document about the Green New Deal was posted on Ocasio-Cortez's website and roundly mocked before being taken down. It included goals such as implementing a high speed rail system that would "make air travel stops unnecessary" and a desire to "fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes."
Some of the more extreme contents of the FAQ were not included in the actual resolution that will be voted on.
Several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have endorsed the Green New Deal, including Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.).
