Sunrise: “It’s a Sad Day for Democracy When the Government is Being Held Hostage and Working People are Paying the Ransom”

In response to the passage of the debt ceiling deal, Varshini Prakash, Executive Director of Sunrise Movement, released the following statement:

“It’s a sad day for democracy when the government is being held hostage and working people are paying the ransom. Negotiating with Right wing extremists is not a ‘compromise’ we should be proud of. Workers are struggling to find jobs and affordable housing, students are drowning in loan debt – and in response the government is passing a deal that makes life harder for us.

“It’s impossible to understate how catastrophic this deal is for our climate. At a time when we are already not on track to meet our climate commitments, it’s against all scientific consensus to green light a fossil fuel project like the Mountain Valley Pipeline. And without making it easier to build clean energy projects, there's no way we will realize the full potential of the IRA or even meet President Biden’s campaign climate goals. Neither the science nor future generations will accept the excuse that ‘this could have been way worse.’”

Ahead of the 2022 midterms, 79% of voters said climate change is at least very important in their vote, making decisions like this one even more consequential. Young people across the country are furious about recent climate decisions, demonstrated recently in the over 650 million views on TikTok that have called for President Biden to stop the Willow Project, followed by outcry on the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Additionally, according to the New York Times, NextEra Energy, one of the major companies behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline, is a major donor to Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin – sowing distrust in the political process for many.