Republican North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn will release a video Tuesday explaining his new policy proposal, called the “New Contract with America,” to counter Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal.
The Daily Caller first obtained the video where Cawthorn lays out an “America First” vision for the country. Cawthorn also told the Caller that he worked with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on some ideas for his “doctrine” that he says will “save America.” He also mentioned Gingrich’s “Contract for America,” saying he wants to build on the legislative agenda written by Gingrich during the 1994 congressional election campaign when Republicans won back the majority.
The “New Contract with America” is what Cawthorn calls “the definitive roadmap for Americans in my generation to reclaim their country from the lies the left has fed them repeatedly” and will address 10 policy issues:
- Government Spending.
- Economy.
- Government reform.
- Health care.
- Education.
- Culture and family unit.
- Energy and environment.
- Immigration.
- Technical innovation.
- Defense and veterans.
The Green New Deal legislation, introduced by Ocasio-Cortez in 2019, aims to tackle climate change and other environmental concerns at a cost as high as $93 trillion over ten years, or $653,000 per household, according to an estimation from American Action Forum (AAF). The plan calls for achieving “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions in ten years and expanding welfare programs.
The Green New Deal sowed division among Democratic senators when it was first introduced in 2019, many of whom question the practicality of the resolution. Then-candidate Joe Biden said in a September 2020 presidential debate that he does not support the Green New Deal.
Cawthorn said he will be announcing bills to address these policy issues from his office or with others.
Cawthorn told the Caller that he is bringing his ideas to the American people instead of trying to convince Republicans in Congress. He also mentioned that he plans on using social media and this video to get his message out, saying members of Congress are “cowards” and very “cynical.” He added that if they get a few phone calls from their constituents about supporting his plan, then the people can convince the members of Congress.
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READ THE BILL HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“We have started going about this in a totally different way. Newt seemed actually kind of jealous of our ability to use social media because he obviously didn’t have it when he was running his main frame. But when we are releasing this, I actually believe it’s significantly easier to convince 30 million Americans of an idea rather than just convincing 218 members of Congress,” Cawthorn told the Caller. (RELATED: North Carolina Elections Board Says It Has The Ability To Bar Madison Cawthorn From Elected Office)
Cawthorn said he believes Republican candidates will have to support “America first” agenda policies in order to win elections and that people running for Congress will be able to say they have signed a pledge to support to his “New Contract with America.” He mentioned that Republicans can hold people accountable who do not get on board, saying they are not really America first candidates if they do not agree with his agenda.
“The MAGA movement has been co-opted by kind of some establishment people, and that’s why I’ve really started shifting towards America First. And so you can see basically every single member of the Freedom Caucus, well over 40 people. They all believe in America first, and I’m seeing candidates all over the country that say, I’m in. I’m an America First Republican,” Cawthorn said.
“I want people to be on record saying that they support these ‘America first’ agenda items,” he added.