THE PRICE

Obama Warns New House Dems That Liberal Policies Like the Green New Deal Are Very Expensive

Some in the room saw it as a warning about Medicare for All.

Former President Barack Obama has cautioned freshmen House Democrats that the liberal policies becoming popular in their ranks—such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal—will cost a lot of money. Although he encouraged the lawmakers to push forward “bold” ideas during their first year in the House, he said they had to consider the pricetags, too. “He said we [as Democrats] shouldn’t be afraid of big, bold ideas—but also need to think in the nitty-gritty about how those big, bold ideas will work and how you pay for them,” said one person in the room, according to The Washington Post. The former president didn’t mention specific policies, but some at the event took his words as a warning about Medicare for All and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal proposal. Most Democrats seeking the presidential nomination have backed a single-payer health-care system and the plan that aims to make the U.S. economy energy efficient within the next decade.

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