--- title: "Senators Opposing Green New Deal Are Drowning in Fossil Fuel Cash" description: "The senators and representatives who oppose the Green New Deal have accepted several times more fossil fuel money than its supporters." date: "2019-02-22" modified: "2019-02-22" authors: - name: "Dan Robitzski" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski.md" url: "https://futurism.com/senators-opposing-green-new-deal-fossil-fuel-cash" categories: - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "environment" - "green new deal" - "politics" --- # Senators Opposing Green New Deal Are Drowning in Fossil Fuel Cash ![The senators and representatives who oppose the Green New Deal have accepted several times more fossil fuel money than its supporters.]() *\Image: Jazella/Gerd Altmann/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Follow the Money The senators and representatives who support or have co-sponsored the [Green New Deal](), the ambitious package of proposals to combat global climate change, have received far less money from the fossil fuel industry than their opponents, [according to *HuffPost*](). The clear divide between legislators who've received large donations from oil, gas, and coal companies and those who haven't shows that, as far as U.S. leaders are concerned, cash is still king. ## Break it Down The 12 senators who have agreed to co-sponsor the Green New Deal have taken a total of $1.1 million worth of fossil fuel campaign contributions over the course of their careers. The remaining 88 senators have taken a combined $59 million, according to *HuffPost*, which comes out to an average of 7.3 times as much money per lawmaker. That doesn't mean that the proposal's supporters are off the hook — co-sponsoring senator Ron Wyden leads the pack with a total of over $290,000 of accepted fossil fuel industry donations. However, he and Bernie Sanders, who accepted the fourth-most fossil fuel donations among co-sponsors over his career, have both rejected such donations over the past two years, according to *HuffPost*. ## Party Lines The split over support for the Green New Deal — and accepting the fossil fuel industry's money, is most clear among party lines — with the vast majority of oil, gas and coal donations going to Republicans. "The Green New Deal shows the level of ambition that climate and energy policy could have if Big Oil, Gas, and Coal’s grip on Washington were weakened," David Turnbull, a spokesman for Oil Change USA, told *HuffPost*. "The cosponsors of the Green New Deal have by and large bucked the influence of the out-of-control fossil fuel industry, and that shows in their willingness to stand up for bold climate solutions like what we see in the Green New Deal resolutions." **READ MORE:** [Senators Not Backing Green New Deal Received On Average 7 Times As Much Fossil Fuel Cash]() \[*HuffPost*\] ***More on the Green New Deal:*** ***Here’s What AOC’s Friends and Enemies Are Saying About the “Green New Deal”*** ## Author Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California. ### Author social links [Twitter]() ## More - [“Green New Deal” Calls for a Zero-Emission America by 2030]() - [Senator: Climate Change Is Fake. Also, Let’s Terraform New Worlds]() - [What Will It Take to Kill Fossil Fuels Once and for All?]() - [France Wants to Cease Fossil Fuel Production by 2040]() - [The World Bank Will Stop Fossil Fuel Financing Beginning in 2019]() - [As Climate Doom Looms, We’re Drilling For More Fossil Fuels Than Ever Before]() - [Congress Introduces Bills to Break Up UnitedHealth Group]() - [Head of Climate Conference Who Happens to Be an Oil Exec Says Actually Fossil Fuels Are Fine]()