The Green New Deal resolution, introduced in 2019, was remarkable not for what it proposed on climate but for how much non-climate policy it packed in. Reading the actual resolution and accompanying FAQ reveals a sweeping economic transformation that uses climate as the vehicle.

Beyond emissions reduction, it called for guaranteed jobs, universal healthcare, guaranteed housing, 'healthy food' guarantees, higher education for all, and 'economic security' for those 'unable or unwilling to work.' These are massive social spending programs with no connection to climate change.

The cost estimates are staggering. The American Action Forum estimated the GND would cost $51-93 trillion over 10 years. The U.S. GDP is about $27 trillion per year. Even the low estimate would roughly double federal spending for a decade.

The energy goals were physically unachievable on the proposed timeline. Reaching net-zero emissions in 10 years would require replacing every gas-powered car (280 million vehicles), retrofitting every building in America (approximately 130 million structures), replacing all fossil fuel electricity generation, and somehow electrifying air travel and shipping — technology that doesn't exist at scale.

The jobs claim also doesn't hold up. Spain's experience with green energy subsidies is instructive. A study by economist Gabriel Calzada at King Juan Carlos University found that for every green job created, 2.2 jobs were destroyed in other sectors due to higher energy costs. Green jobs often require massive subsidies that redirect resources from productive sectors.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, hardly a conservative, told young GND advocates: 'There's no way to pay for it.' The resolution received zero yes votes in the Senate — even its sponsors voted 'present.'

Serious climate policy involves nuclear expansion, natural gas transition, R&D investment, and carbon capture — not a wish list that would bankrupt the country.