Pelosi calls the Green New Deal 'the green dream or whatever'

Nancy Pelosi.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) still doesn't seem to think much of her fellow Democrats' Green New Deal idea.

Pelosi discussed the proposal with Politico on Wednesday, without being totally sure what it's called or even is. "The green dream or whatever they call it," she said, "nobody knows what it is, but they're for it right?" She also referred to the Green New Deal as just "one of several or maybe many suggestions that we receive."

Democrats have been talking regularly about the concept of a Green New Deal, a bill taking aggressive steps to cut carbon emissions and achieve 100 percent renewable energy, for months, although this term goes back to at least 2007, per The Washington Post. Back in November, activists crowded the hall outside Pelosi's office pushing for a Green New Deal, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was happy to join them. She's not alone in her efforts, as more than 40 House Democrats have endorsed the Green New Deal, Bloomberg reports.

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Pelosi ultimately re-established a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, although activists had called for a Select Committee For a Green New Deal. Pelosi told Politico that the climate crisis committee's panel won't actually be writing any legislation, though.

The same morning Pelosi's interview was published, Ocasio-Cortez unveiled a Green New Deal resolution, although it's not an actual bill, so if it were to pass, nothing would really happen. In an interview with NPR to discuss it, Ocasio-Cortez said she thinks Pelosi is doing a "great job" as speaker.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.