Sanders on standing firm on the reconciliation budget bill

It started at $6 trillion and has been already compromised down to $3.5 trillion. And that is not nearly enough to address the climate crisis but it's a start and cannot be whittled down even further. We need to hammer home the scientific reality of the destruction that will ensue to much of humanity if we don't take bold action on this front. And we need to also repeatedly emphasize the ethical and moral implications of the human suffering caused by that crisis as motivation for that action. Bernie said:

"We have started off, as you know, with, I would guess, 80% of the Democratic caucus supporting a $6 trillion bill. Remember, this is over 10 years. Per year, it's less than we spend on the military. Now maybe you can tell me, or somebody else can tell me, how much we should spend to save the planet. Because what the scientists are telling us is that if we don't get a handle on climate change within the next few years, there will be irreparable damage. And you know what? I got four kids and seven grandchildren. And I think we have a moral responsibility to leave them a planet that is healthy and is habitable. Right now we got 50, we got 50 votes. We're going to have to work it out, as we did with the American Rescue Plan. But I have already made, and my colleagues have made a major compromise, going from six trillion down to three and a half trillion.

"Look, right now what we are doing is we are engaging with the House and the Senate. It is a complicated proposal. All I am telling you is the $3.5 trillion is much too low. A compromise has already been made; an agreement has been made. And the American people, by the way, poll after poll after poll are telling us, that now is the time to stand up to powerful special interests. Now is the time to start representing working families. On all of these issues."