Sanders on the Budget Bill: ‘We Are Pouring a Huge Amount of Money into Moving Our Economy and Away from Fossil Fuels’

SANDERS: “So we are pouring a huge amount of money into moving our economy, our transportation system, agriculture, away from fossil fuels, into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. There’s a whole lot of programs that we have. And I won’t go, I just don’t have the time to go through all of them right now, but there’s gonna be, by far, the largest investment in addressing climate that this country has ever, ever seen. And among many other programs, and I’m excited about this, we’re gonna put tens of billions of dollars into a Civilian Climate Corps. And essentially way that means is we’re gonna have hundreds of thousands of young people get actively involved in the fight to transform our energy system. And they will be paid well, and if I have anything to say about it, there will be educational stipends. Also, there’s a benefit which will enable them either to, you know, be able to afford college or pay off a student debt. So I’m very excited about the concept of the Civilian Climate Corps, which is based on the Rooseveltian CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s. So, bottom line here is we are looking at the most consequential piece of legislation to impact the lives of working people that we have seen, I believe, since FDR in the 1930s. And it will, among many other things, create millions and millions of good-paying and meaningful jobs which take on climate change and improve lives for working families. So, I just wanted to take a few minutes to update you on what’s going on here and to keep you, as the days and weeks go forward, to keep you informed. This is a work in progress. A lot of committees working on it, a whole lot of folks are working on it. But I do applaud the President and my colleagues here who are finally taking a hard look at the crises facing the American people, the working people of this country, and beginning to address it. Now, I know some people will say, well, it doesn’t go far enough. Well, between you and me, I agree with you. But anyone who denies that this is a major, major, major step forward, I think is missing the boat. So thank you all for watching, look forward to chatting with you soon. Take care.”