Pelosi Snubs Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for House Select Climate Change Committee

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is in the spotlight Thursday as she unveils her “Green New Deal” plan, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has passed her over for the newly-formed House select committee on climate change.

The Associated Press reports that Ocasio-Cortez did not make the cut of eight Democratic representatives on the committee: 

Pelosi said Reps. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Joe Neguse of Colorado, Donald McEachin of Virginia and Sean Casten of Illinois will serve on the panel, along with three Californians: Julia Brownley, Jared Huffman, and Mike Levin.

The panel will be chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, who was chosen in December.

Pelosi said the new panel, which also will include six Republicans, “will be vital in advancing ambitious progress for our planet.”

Ocasio-Cortez released her Green New Deal resolution to National Public Radio (NPR), which aired an interview with her to accompany the announcement.

It's amazing to hear @AOC explain and fight for how we're going to pay for the Green New Deal, when asked about massive government intervention.

"I have no problem saying that. Why? Because we have tried their approach for 40 years — to let the private sector take care of it." pic.twitter.com/kLum4DFjyu

— Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) February 7, 2019

In the interview, Ocasio-Cortez said her resolution — which is not legally binding and would require the regular protocol to become legislation and law — would call for “massive government intervention” to reach its goals.

In the interview — recorded before Pelosi’s announcement — Ocasio-Cortez praised the returning House Speaker. “I think she’s doing great. I think she’s actually doing a great job,” she said. “I’m very proud that she was able to hold the caucus together during the longest shutdown in American history. I think she got concessions for the president. I think she’s showing people who’s boss and I very much understand that she’s in an extraordinarily difficult position.”

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