Our Chairman, Henry Waxman, recently spoke with Maxine Joselow of The Washington Post about the parallel challenges between today’s fight in Congress to pass the Build Back Better (BBB) Act and those he faced alongside his colleague, Senator Markey, to pass what would have been the most significant piece of climate change legislation ever enacted. While the cap-and-trade bill died in the Senate, Waxman is hoping the BBB does not meet the same fate.

“We had difficulties which tended to be fatal,” Waxman told The Climate 202. “Build Back Better is having difficulties which I hope will not be fatal.”

With an opportunity to enact historic climate legislation through BBB, Waxman shares why it is crucial we learn from the hard-fought lessons of the past and seize this opportunity.

One of the major factors that led to the Waxman-Markey bill not passing was the impact of timing. The Obama Administration had conflicting policy priorities and a limited window in which to pass significant legislation. The Biden Administration must remain focused and prioritize delivering their top legislative priorities to the American people in the coming months, Waxman argues, as the midterm elections are looming in the back of our minds.

With the 2022 Midterms less than a year away and a challenging electoral map, Waxman believes the Democratic Majority in Congress needs to act quickly. Senator Markey shares this sentiment, “While the best time to act on climate was decades ago, the next best time is now.” We could not agree more.

Read more from this interview here: https://wapo.st/32OU9Ib