Bowman: ‘We Need a Federal Jobs Guarantee’ to Solve Climate, Won’t Vote for Reconciliation Bill if it Doesn’t Meet Climate Goals

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) argued that “we need a federal jobs guarantee to get us out of this climate crisis.” And said that if the reconciliation package “doesn’t meet our climate and racial justice and economic justice goals, I will not be voting for it.”

Bowman said that he doesn’t think $6 trillion is too high of a price tag for a reconciliation package, and “I believe we need a federal jobs guarantee to get us out of this climate crisis. I believe we need a Civilian Climate Corporation to get us out of this climate crisis, and we have to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 or 2035, at the latest. So, whatever number that is to get us to a federal jobs guarantee and to meet the demands of climate change, while also dealing with the issues of racial equity. Because again, we cannot forget this point, when we look at the GI Bill and the New Deal and even the Homestead Act going back further, communities of color and poor communities have been historically left out of those conversations. For this bill, we’re bringing everybody in. And this is what’s essential, and this is what everyone needs to understand, if we bring everyone in and make it a true racial and economic justice focus, America will become one of the most powerful nations — continue to be one of the most powerful nations in the world, but everyone will be involved, as opposed to what we’re seeing now, which is wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, while the majority of us continue to struggle economically.”

Host Kasie Hunt then asked, “If this package, the reconciliation bill isn’t big enough, will you consider not voting for it?”

Bowman responded, “Yeah, if it’s not big enough, and it doesn’t meet our climate and racial justice and economic justice goals, I will not be voting for it.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett