Jan 14, 2019
Bundled up in a winter coat, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stood outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. to raise alarm that the arm of the government "that should be leading the effort in this country and around the world to combat climate change" is barely operating due to President Donald Trump's temper tantrum over border wall funding.
In a video shared to social media on Tuesday, the senator called on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to stop blocking votes on legislation approved by the House that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
While pointing to warnings from scientists that without an urgent transition away from burning fossil fuels, "the planet that we will be leaving our children and grandchildren will be increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable," Sanders noted that during the shutdown, 95 percent of EPA employees are furloughed and many are considered "nonessential."
"So here you have a major crisis for the United States and for the world, and at the same time you have nobody, or almost nobody, working here at the EPA," he said. "Now how insane is that?"
Watch:
\u201cThe scientists tell us that the future of the planet is endangered by climate change. Meanwhile, because of Trump's government shutdown, about 95% of E.P.A. employees have been furloughed because they are "non-essential." How insane is that?\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1547575200
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Bundled up in a winter coat, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stood outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. to raise alarm that the arm of the government "that should be leading the effort in this country and around the world to combat climate change" is barely operating due to President Donald Trump's temper tantrum over border wall funding.
In a video shared to social media on Tuesday, the senator called on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to stop blocking votes on legislation approved by the House that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
While pointing to warnings from scientists that without an urgent transition away from burning fossil fuels, "the planet that we will be leaving our children and grandchildren will be increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable," Sanders noted that during the shutdown, 95 percent of EPA employees are furloughed and many are considered "nonessential."
"So here you have a major crisis for the United States and for the world, and at the same time you have nobody, or almost nobody, working here at the EPA," he said. "Now how insane is that?"
Watch:
\u201cThe scientists tell us that the future of the planet is endangered by climate change. Meanwhile, because of Trump's government shutdown, about 95% of E.P.A. employees have been furloughed because they are "non-essential." How insane is that?\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1547575200
Bundled up in a winter coat, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stood outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. to raise alarm that the arm of the government "that should be leading the effort in this country and around the world to combat climate change" is barely operating due to President Donald Trump's temper tantrum over border wall funding.
In a video shared to social media on Tuesday, the senator called on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to stop blocking votes on legislation approved by the House that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
While pointing to warnings from scientists that without an urgent transition away from burning fossil fuels, "the planet that we will be leaving our children and grandchildren will be increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable," Sanders noted that during the shutdown, 95 percent of EPA employees are furloughed and many are considered "nonessential."
"So here you have a major crisis for the United States and for the world, and at the same time you have nobody, or almost nobody, working here at the EPA," he said. "Now how insane is that?"
Watch:
\u201cThe scientists tell us that the future of the planet is endangered by climate change. Meanwhile, because of Trump's government shutdown, about 95% of E.P.A. employees have been furloughed because they are "non-essential." How insane is that?\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1547575200
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.