Back in the U.S., former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden has come under fire from environmental groups and fellow presidential hopefuls after a recent Reuters report quoted an adviser qualifying Biden’s approach to environmental issues as seeking a “middle ground” on climate change policy. Biden has sought to elevate his credentials as a centrist in a crowded Democratic field with candidates touting progressive policies on a range of issues, including support for a Green New Deal. Biden supports remaining in the Paris Climate Agreement and reinstating Obama-era regulations on vehicles and coal plants, while retaining nuclear energy and natural gas production.

The Sunrise Movement issued a statement saying, “A 'middle ground' policy that’s supportive of more fossil fuel development is a death sentence for our generation and the millions of people on the frontlines of the climate crisis.” Similarly, Senator Bernie Sanders, who supports the Green New Deal, tweeted “There is no 'middle ground' when it comes to climate policy.”

Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Sanders, New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, are joining a rally today at Howard University in Washington, D.C., as the final stop on Sunrise Movement’s nationwide “Road to a Green New Deal Tour.”