EL PORTAL, Calif. (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has announced his first major policy initiative, a sweeping $5 trillion plan to combat climate change.
The former Texas congressman unveiled his proposal Monday before visiting California’s Yosemite National Park, a dramatic backdrop for a move he hopes can jumpstart a campaign that began to much national fanfare but has seemingly lost some of that luster lately.
The plan calls for increasing taxes on corporations and top earners and cutting tax breaks for fossil fuel companies.
It seeks to spend $5 trillion over 10 years to improve aging infrastructure while pledging to take “significant actions to defend communities” preparing for intensified natural disasters.
O’Rourke promises to sign a series of climate change-fighting executive orders and calls on the U.S. to guarantee net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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