Washington (March 1, 2022) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after President Biden delivered the State of the Union address.
“In his first State of the Union address, President Biden delivered an optimistic vision for the future of our nation and the legacy we will leave for generations of Americans to come – one that preserves democracy at home and abroad, centers equity, keeps our children safe online, safeguards communities from climate disasters, and helps working families make ends meet by lowering every day costs from health care to child care to middle class taxes.
“President Biden made an important call to hold Big Tech accountable for protecting our children’s mental health and well-being. The youth mental health crisis is also a youth privacy crisis. Today, the internet is embedded in the lives of kids and teens across this country, and it’s time that we pass my bipartisan Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act and ban targeted advertising to kids, provide tools to parents to protect their children online, and stop Big Tech from collecting troves of data on young users. As the President made clear, it’s time to put an end to business models that put profit over people and money over mental health in this country.
“It’s also critical that this American future includes a rejection of dirty fossil fuels and a transition to clean energy. The clean energy revolution will create jobs, bring down energy costs, boost American innovation, and put frontline communities who have borne the brunt of the impacts of the climate crisis at the center of our fight through a focus on environmental justice. Congress must act now to make this a reality by passing the climate justice and clean energy provisions in the Build Back Better Act, and carving a path to delivering on a Green New Deal that will transform our economy and reverberate for decades to come.
“As Americans emerge from the darkest days of the COVID-19 crisis that has cast a stark light on the inequities and barriers that have held workers and families back while the ultra-wealthy get ahead, we are on the verge of great change – but we need to act boldly and act now. We can and must unite around a vision for our nation that makes us safer, stronger, more just, and more equitable. That is the future we must deliver for the generations of Americans to come.”
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