Boston (February 23, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released his third episode of  “The Ed Markey Podcast,” featuring Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). The two Massachusetts lawmakers discussed their Freedom to Move Act and the need for providing fare free public transit in communities across the country.  

“Much of what the Green New Deal is about is environmental justice,” said Senator Markey. “It’s about ensuring that we rectify, remediate all of those historical injustices that have been inflicted upon communities of color, poor people all across our country. And part of it is the need for people to have access to public transit.”   

Senator Markey and Congresswoman Pressley originally introduced the Freedom to Move Act, cosponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), in June 2020. Following the bill’s introduction, Senator Markey, Congresswoman Pressley, and then-Councilor Michelle Wu published an op-ed that discussed the bill and the need to fund public transportation as a public good. In July 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Moving Forward Act that included a fare-free pilot program modeled after the two lawmakers’ Freedom to Move Act. In April 2023, Senator Markey and Congresswoman Pressley reintroduced the Freedom to Move Act to support states and localities in enacting fare free rides, strengthening transportation safety and quality, and closing the transit equity gap. In February 2024, Senator Markey and Congresswoman Pressley applauded Mayor Wu for extending Boston’s fare free bus program.  

Every Friday until Earth Day in April, “The Ed Markey Podcast” will feature a new episode with a variety of climate champions—from lawmakers to youth organizers and environmental justice activists. “The Ed Markey Podcast” spotlights how the Green New Deal movement has transformed the United States’ national climate agenda by creating new union jobs, delivering long-overdue justice, and reducing dangerous pollution.  

Senator Markey and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) recently unveiled a new report, “Five Years of the Green New Deal,” detailing what the Green New Deal means for good-paying clean jobs, environmental justice, and climate action, and providing a path forward for years to come.