"I challenge Leader McConnell to say that our climate change crisis is real, that it’s caused by humans, and that Congress needs to act," Sen. Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. | Alex Wong/Getty Images energy & environment Schumer slams ‘stunt’ Green New Deal vote as moderates fret

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not be intimidated by the “cynical stunt” of voting on the Green New Deal resolution, even as moderate members of his caucus distanced themselves from the sweeping climate change goals.

Schumer said the "amazing irony" of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bringing up a resolution Republicans intend to vote against is a sign of why the American people hate Congress. He demanded the Kentucky Republican acknowledge the scientific consensus around climate change and commit the chamber to tackling the problem.


"I challenge Leader McConnell to say that our climate change crisis is real, that it’s caused by humans, and that Congress needs to act," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "This is what two-thirds of the American people agree with."

Schumer's clap back comes on the heels of McConnell saying his chamber would vote on the ambitious Green New Deal resolution floated by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). That move is expected to show internal divisions within the Democratic caucus about how to tackle climate change with some lawmakers recoiling at the resolution's aim of decarbonizing the U.S. economy within a decade.

Morning Energy newsletter The source for energy and environment news — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

"Bring it on," Schumer said as to McConnell's plan to call up the resolution. "We'll be fine."

But some moderate Democrats appear wary of the coming vote.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, said at an Axios event this morning that she was not ready to back the resolution in its current form.

“Some of the wording is of concern to me because it leaves things wide open and allows folks that are opposing it to … mischaracterize it,” Stabenow said. “I understand the passion. I understand the sense of urgency, but I think a little more time, a little more communication, a little more input from a wider variety of folks on language would have made a difference.”

She added that while she supported the underlying goal of aggressive climate action, “we have new people that are very enthusiastic who kind of got ahead of themselves, I think, in terms of how they were rolling things out.”

Stabenow’s comments come as Sen. Joe Manchin, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized the Green New Deal as a dream during a Wednesday interview on CNN.

“The Green New Deal is a dream, it’s not a deal. It’s a dream,” Manchin said. “And that’s fine. People should have dreams in the perfect world what they’d like to see. I’ve got to work in realities and I’ve got to work in the practical, what I have in front of me.”

He added: “I’ve got to make sure that our country has affordable, dependable, reliable energy 24/7, but you can’t just be a denier and say, ‘Well, I’m not going to use coal. I’m not going to use natural gas. I’m not going to use oil.’”

Schumer argued in his floor speech that McConnell and Republicans more broadly have not put forward any legislation to address climate change since he took over as Senate leader in 2015. He said GOP lawmakers have no plan to meaningfully address the problem, instead exacerbating it through actions like encouraging the U.S. from the international Paris accord and withdrawing carbon rules for power plants.

He further demanded McConnell allow amendments be considered to the resolution that would allow Republicans to go on the record as to whether the acknowledge the scientific consensus of climate change.

"We’re supposed to conduct the business of the nation. We’re supposed to tackle our country’s greatest challenge," Schumer said. "Well, climate change is the number one threat to our planet. And yet not a single Republican bill that addresses climate change in a meaningful way to reach the floor. Not a one."

In response to Schumer’s comments, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said, “The Leader announced two days ago that we would have a vote on the GND. Two days later, Sen. Schumer has still not endorsed the bill. And he seemed to have left that out of his speech. We look forward to learning his position on the bill.”

Moderate Republicans, including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Cory Gardner (Colo.), welcomed McConnell’s decision to bring the resolution up for a vote.

“This idea is about socialism — that’s what this is,” Gardner said when asked if Republicans would offer their own climate proposal. “Look at it. Read it. And it’s important that we tell the American people what it is.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who’s up for reelection in 2020, also welcomed the vote.

“Having the issue vetted, having people actually know what’s in the Green New Deal is probably worthwhile because we can compare and contrast,” Tillis said. “It may be well-intentioned, but poorly constructed and absolutely impossible being implemented effectively.”

Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Manchin both declined to say whether they’d back the resolution on the floor.

“The Green New Deal is not perfect — nothing I work on is perfect — but I welcome their enthusiasm and excitement,” Carper said of youth advocates. “They have a point and the point is: We don’t have forever to get to work.”

Meanwhile, some Democrats indirectly criticized sponsors of the legislation for not envisioning McConnell might use it to divide the caucus.

“When it was introduced, it seemed obvious to me that that would happen, but I don’t mind voting on stuff,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters.