The White House hosted its first information session for President Joe Biden’s “American Climate Corps” program on Thursday to tout the program and solicit feedback from prospective participants.
Ali Zaidi, the White House national climate adviser, joined Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and other White House officials to preview the American Climate Corps, a de facto green jobs training program that is expected to begin churning out cohorts this summer.
The government officials marketed the program as a key tool to push sweeping societal action to counter climate change, while civilians logged on to the virtual information session made suggestions and asked a range of questions about the program and the shape it will take.
The White House announced the establishment of the program in September, using executive authority to start it. The corps was a top priority for left-wing lawmakers and environmentalists during negotiations for the massive legislation that ultimately became the Inflation Reduction Act, but the program did not make it into the package due to strong Republican opposition surrounding its potential costs, according to The Associated Press.
Markey, who introduced a Green New Deal resolution with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., in 2019, was the first official to deliver extended remarks about the American Climate Corps during the information session.
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