Utah Republican Rep. Rob Bishop claimed that the so-called Green New Deal could potentially usher in genocide, Axios reported Thursday morning.
The idea behind the policy is “tantamount to genocide. That may be an overstatement but not by a whole lot,” the Utah Republican said at a press conference Thursday. Bishop, who sits on the House Natural Resources Committee, did not elaborate on the remark except to say that the Green New Deal, which is designed to address climate change, is not ready “for prime time.”
“If you actually implement everything they want to,” Bishop said, according to Axios. “Killing would be positive if you implement everything the Green New Deal actually wants to. That’s why the the Green New Deal is not ready for prime time.”
Critics of the policy believe it could severely hurt the U.S. electrical grid and possibly lead to massive economic disruptions.
The resolution was proposed in February and calls for “10-year national mobilizations” toward a series of goals aimed at fighting global warming. Another fact sheet, which created controversy, claimed the plan would “mobilize every aspect of American society on a scale not seen since World War 2.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 10: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends the “Knock Down The House” Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 10, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW)
Reports have since come out suggesting the Green New Deal could break the bank. It could cost nearly $93 trillion over a decade, according to the right-leaning American Action Forum. That comes to an estimated cost of $36,100 to $65,300 per American household per year. Those goals include “net-zero” emissions, widespread high-speed rail, guaranteed jobs, universal health care and upgrading every building.
The idea was the brainchild of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who defeated former Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018. Her proposal has received criticism from some unlikely sources. (RELATED: Democrats Released Their Green New Deal. Here’s How People Are Reacting To The Rollout)
Former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore, for instance, called Ocasio-Cortez a “pompous little twit” for pushing anti-fossil fuel policies that would result in “mass death.” Bishop, for his part, might have been using similar rhetoric Thursday when he compared the Green New Deal to mass deaths.
Bishop’s office has not yet responded to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for clarification on his comment.
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