Joe Biden is now president of the United States. It's a job that his predecessor never seemed to take seriously, especially the last few months. Biden is promising that he will. But in order to accomplish many of his goals, he'll need to go through Congress. Sen. Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, discussed Biden's inauguration and the incoming administration's agenda with GBH All Things Considered host Arun Rath. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Arun Rath: You and most of your colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, in fact all of your colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, have been strident critics of the former president. After four years, tell me how you're feeling right now, to have a president you support in office.
Sen. Ed Markey: I will tell you that we hold a presidential inauguration in the Capitol because it is the temple of democracy. On Jan. 6, that democracy was attacked. But on Inauguration Day today, that democracy was reaffirmed. Today, that building, the Capitol, the ceremony, isn't just about honoring our history. It's a recommitment to our future, which is a future defined by justice and equality, a future where a democracy that works for all Americans thrives. That's what Joe Biden promised to the American people today. So what a difference a day makes, as former President Donald Trump takes off for Palm Beach and Joe Biden assumes the mantle of responsibility to do the job with the seriousness which it deserves.
Rath: Watching it on TV, it had quite a deal more pomp and glory than one might expect for something happening in a pandemic, with so many fewer people.
Markey: I think they did a wonderful job using symbols. The many deaths which we've suffered, 400,000 since the beginning of the pandemic, were honored. I think they put together an absolutely brilliant way of ensuring that their memories would be honored today. But obviously, it's not the same day when hundreds of thousands of people are deliberately kept away with huge barriers and 25,000 armed National Guard and other military in order to make sure that white supremacists cannot make an attack on our democracy. It's a powerful day, and it was in a lot of ways more powerful because the white supremacists, two weeks ago today, launched their attack at the Capitol building. Two weeks later, we are there, honoring the constitutional requirement that we inaugurate a new president. And we did so without any disturbances
Rath: And with a display of a very diverse America, in every aspect.
Markey: It was an incredible moment. My friend Kamala Harris, the first black woman, first South Asian woman, first woman [vice president] is sworn in. And then this incredible young poet laureate [Amanda Gorman] — Harvard graduate, an African-American young woman who delivered the stunning poem, the stunning message that puts her right in the same league as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou when they read their poetry at the inaugurations. So, yeah, it was beautiful. And it represents this mosaic that is America that Trump and his partisan supporters fight so hard to slow down, to stop or reverse. Today it just showed the inevitable inexorability of the victory of diversity over this homogeneic view of what America was and should be in the future. Moreover, it touches our souls when we see that kind of a tableau. At the same time, we know that art and science are going to be back. They are going to be respected as well after a four year hiatus in the Trump White House.
Rath: Looking ahead to our new president's agenda, I wanted to ask you in particular, as you were a co-author of the Green New Deal. On the campaign trail, Biden didn't really embrace that. He's been careful about how he's phrased his support. But with Biden now president, and with Democrats now holding a majority in the House and Senate, what do you think the prospects are for the Green New Deal and, more broadly, for that type of powerful legislation?
Markey: Well, it was just two years ago that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and I introduced the Green New Deal. There's no question that it was criticized roundly by Fox News and Republicans but also many elements inside of the Democratic Party saying it goes too far, it's too much. Of course, one-third of the resolution actually dealt with the question of minorities, questions of frontline communities, Indigenous communities finally being included in environmental justice. Two years later, that doesn't seem so radical any longer.
The good news is that after Biden won the nomination, he asked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he asked Varshini Prakash, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement — which is all these young people across the country who want fundamental change, and they want it soon — to be in the room to draft the new Biden plan. This new Biden plan is a lot closer to the Green New Deal than anything any presidential candidate has ever proposed. And it's a $2 trillion proposal with 40% of the funding going to frontline, minority, Indigenous communities that have historically been left behind.
So I think that there's been tremendous movement on the Biden team. I'm very enthused by the people who he has selected — Gina McCarthy to be the domestic climate czar, John Kerry to be the international climate czar. The nominated EPa administeration, Michael Reagan of North Carolina, is a great addition. I look at the team and I see a potential for fundamental change in the United States' role as a leader, finally, in the climate space. Today, as you know, by executive order, Biden made the announcement that we are going to reenter the Paris Climate Accord. Because the United States must be the leader, we can't be the laggard. We can't preach temperance from the bar stool. We can't tell the rest of the world to reduce their greenhouse gases if we are not the leader. So I feel very encouraged by where Biden is going in the climate space. I'm looking forward to partnering with him to make sure that it not only is implemented but that we go even further than what he has proposed.
Rath: Looking across the aisle, when former President Barack Obama was in office, Republicans under Rep. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were immovable in their opposition to him. We've seen, since the insurrection, a number of GOP senators — notably McConnell — peeling away somewhat dramatically in some cases from Trump. Do you think there's more of a possibility of cooperation right now?
Markey: I'm hopeful. It was a very sobering day two weeks ago, with these white supremacists attacking and actually taking over the Senate floor. In my conversations with Republicans since then, I really do sense a desire to begin to restore some level of civility. I think that many of them do blame Trump for what happened two weeks ago as aiding and abetting this insurrection. In many ways, we might have openings that will make it possible for us to be successful. But if not, we still have a number of reconciliation bills that we could use in order to effectuate big climate change and other public policy objectives with only 51 votes. So we hope that they are willing to cross the aisle. But if not, we are committed to using all legislative vehicles to make progress. That's what I think today was all about. Biden's favorite Irish poet, Seamus Heaney, used to say that in certain instances, hope and history rhyme. I think that's what happened today. The Democrats took over the United States Senate with the two Georgia seats. Joe Biden was sworn in, and hope and history are rhyming. We have a chance on climate change, on racial justice, on economic equality to begin to make the progress that this country so desperately needs.
