Times like this reveal why federal leadership matters. We must do everything we can to ensure Biden is our next president.
More than 100,000 Americans dead from a pandemic and double that expected by fall. An epidemic of Black people killed at the hands of police. More than 45 million people newly unemployed with no end in sight.
America is in crisis. And times like these reveal why federal leadership matters.
Our nation is hurting. Uncertainty and fear have upended our lives. The climate crisis is worsening. Unemployment is soaring. Rampant violence against Black people by those abusing their power is being fueled by speech that enables hate and intolerance. Injustice remains largely unaddressed. Yet the White House has responded with a lack of empathy, willful ignorance, and even encouragement of violence. This is what failed federal leadership looks like.
Five months from now, our nation will vote for the person who will lead us out of the woods. We need a leader who will unite us and bring compassion back to the White House. We need someone who will stand up for all of us, especially those who have been the target of systemic racism and marginalization. We need someone who will put the needs of the people before the wants of polluters. We need a leader who can rebuild us from the crises we are reeling from today and make us stronger and more resilient against the demands of the next.
That person is Joe Biden. And we must do everything we can between now and November to ensure that he is our next president.
I spent eight years working with Biden in the Obama administration. I have always known him to be a good man and a thoughtful leader—nothing short of presidential.
I believe he will take more aggressive reforms to dismantle the systemic racism that pervades our society and put a stop to Black deaths at the hands of police because Joe Biden listens and learns.
I believe he will stand up for public health—as evidenced by his long track record on advocacy for cancer research and global pandemic preparedness, as well as his experience helping to lead our nation’s responses to the Ebola and SARS outbreaks.
And I have faith he will follow science and the law, surrounding himself with advisors who embrace strong climate actions.
When I was at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I always knew President Obama and Vice President Biden had our backs. They understood the threats of climate change. They supported our agency staff. They trusted us to protect people and our planet from the devastating consequences of climate change. We need to bring that level of respect and expertise back to the federal government. We need Joe Biden.
His climate plan will be the most aggressive and comprehensive ever undertaken by any administration in our nation’s history because Biden knows that’s what the challenges of the times demand.
He knows that climate action will make our communities healthier, our economy stronger, and our country more secure. This pandemic has laid bare bitter and inexcusable inequities that are having life-and-death consequences for those who suffer most from climate change. Biden will speak up and act in the face of injustice. He will strengthen the resilience of communities on the frontlines of pollution. And he will fight to ensure that safe water, clean air, and healthy communities are rights shared equally by all Americans, not a luxury accorded to a privileged few.
He will move us toward smarter ways to power our future—clean energy industries that hold more economic opportunity. And he will shift us away from fossil fuels that pollute our air, make us sick and drive climate change.
That shift requires large-scale job training opportunities to give workers an on-ramp to the low-carbon economy, especially for regions tied to fossil fuels. Already, 3.4 million Americans are working in clean energy jobs—three times as many as those in the fossil fuel industry. We can put millions more back to work through his plan to make the United States a leader in clean energy. We can create more good union jobs by rebuilding failing infrastructure and making the cars of the future.
Addressing the scale and urgency of the climate crisis also requires a keen understanding of how government works beyond the Beltway. Biden will connect not only with the party faithful but also with Americans across the political spectrum. He can build the coalition we need to move Congress toward legislation to implement climate solutions. Using his experience, relationships, and diplomatic skills, I trust he will restore our credibility on the world stage by rejoining the Paris climate agreement and turbocharging clean energy and climate action nationwide.
Right now, it is painfully clear that the Trump administration is dragging the United States down the wrong path. We aren’t just missing from the climate battlefield; we have switched sides in the war. Instead of limiting pollution, Trump is weakening environmental enforcements, rolling back protections, and handing out favors to his powerful polluter friends—all at the expense of the American people.
Our health, our communities, and our economy can’t afford four more years of the Trump agenda. We must fight back. We must vote for Joe Biden in November for the sake of our children and the future of our great country. That is why I am proud to announce that the NRDC Action Fund is endorsing Joe Biden for president.
