The Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis has clearly illustrated the lack of leadership and vision of our sitting president.

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Hi John,

The Trump Administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis has clearly illustrated the lack of leadership and vision of our sitting president. Luckily, the presumptive Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, is already leading where it counts. Just this week, the Biden campaign joined Senator Bernie Sanders to form a unity task force ([link removed]) that brings together some of the smartest and most thoughtful policymakers and experts in the country to help solve some of our biggest problems, including climate change. Among the climate task force picks are Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Donald McEachin and Kathy Castor, and Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash. This team shows Biden’s commitment to address climate change boldly and ambitiously and to bring together diverse networks of people.
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Forward and Inclusive

This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats unveiled the HEROES Act relief package, with the chamber expected to vote on the bill today. This is forward-thinking policymaking at its best: not only would it provide financial assistance for Americans struggling to pay their energy bills, it also provides additional funding for critical transit systems. The HEROES Act also includes $50 million in environmental justice grants to determine why the novel coronavirus disproportionately impacts marginalized and vulnerable communities. We can’t talk about this pandemic or the response without talking about environmental justice and the structural racism shaping the virus’ impact. However, the bill faces serious opposition by Senate Republicans, even though Americans will suffer without additional federal intervention.

Regressive and Exclusive

The Trump administration continues to pick favorites when it comes to federal aid for the energy industry. We know that the President met with major oil barons in the early days of the pandemic and pledged support to the sector, which was under financial pressure long before the crisis began. Earlier this week, 16 Republican senators, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Jim Inhofe, and John Barrasso, sent a letter to Trump urging him to take action ([link removed]) against Wall Street for limiting financing for oil and coal companies. Meanwhile, the administration and much of the GOP continue to resist emergency aid for clean energy companies even as they shed what some estimates place at hundreds of thousands of jobs.

However, there is a way that oil-reliant states like Texas, Wyoming, and North Dakota can be part of our clean energy future and recover from this economic crisis: by supporting innovative carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Take a look at our new memo ([link removed]) .
Talking Points:
* The Trump Administration and the GOP are living in the past by resuscitating oil and coal without simultaneously breathing life into clean energy technology. Their fossil fuel favoritism endangers the climate while failing to make the necessary investments in a transition toward cleaner energy.
* The GOP always says the government shouldn't pick winners and losers in the energy sector, but they do it every time.
* The federal government should be investing in technologies like carbon capture to help historically oil-reliant states develop a more sustainable and diversified economy.

As always, let’s keep the conversation going,
Jared

Jared DeWese
Senior Communications Advisor | Third Way
202.384.1737 :: @jareddewese ([link removed])

T.J. Osborne
Climate and Energy Press Coordinator | Third Way
202.775.5163 :: @tjosborne_ ([link removed])

Jackie Toth
Advisor for Policy and Content, Climate and Energy | Third Way
202.775.5167 :: @JackieTothDC ([link removed])

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