Video: Sen. Mark Warner Comments on Syria; Infrastructure Bills (he’s looking to find “some breakthrough between where Bernie’s at, where Joe Manchin’s at”); Need to Take Action on the Climate Crisis (“I’m even open to a phase-in on a carbon tax”)

Yesterday, Sen. Mark Warner went on CNN (Jake Tapper’s show), and had a few interesting things to say, including the following. See below for video…

• On Iran-backed militias firing rockets at U.S. forces, Sen. Warner said that the U.S. “has the right and the necessity to protect any of our troops in harm’s way”; that “the ability for the bad guys to constantly upgrade [their military equipment] to harass or harm our troops is an ongoing threat”; but also that “I’ve seen over my decades plus a lot of bad plans around Syria, I’ve never seen any good plan.”
• Sen. Warner agrees that the U.S. Congress needs to “get its act together” regarding authorization of use of military force, not just rely on legislation “passed in 2002 or 2003.”
• On the bipartisan infrastructure deal, Sen. Warner said it’s the “biggest infrastructure investment in our country’s history and it’s not just roads and bridges”; that “I hope that moves as fast as possible”; that “I’m also very committed…to work with Sen. Sanders and others to start down the path on a budget reconciliation process…I intend to move forward on that kind of legislation…I think there’s a fairer tax system”; that he’s in “the middle of these negotiations” to “find some breakthrough between where Bernie’s at, where Joe Manchin’s at,” that “a lot of what I will be able to support will be based upon how much additional revenue we can raise”; that “I probably won’t be where Sen. Sanders is, but I think there’s a lot of worthy goals in his plan, but I find it better to try to negotiate that with my colleagues rather than through the press”; that “I wouldn’t be viewed as one of the moderate guys if I wasn’t more on a plan that is going to be a little bit more moderate, but is also going to be able to be paid for.”
• “I absolutely believe when we see these record-high temperatures…anyone that denies the reality and the economic duress that is being caused by climate change obviously isn’t spending a lot of time outdoors; this is a once-in-a-generation time where we can make meaningful changes in terms of climate, to invest in a cleaner grid, invest in cleaner vehicles,  in moving towards a clean energy standard, heck I’m even open to a phase-in on a carbon tax...if we don’t take advantage of really wrestling with climate change in a meaningful way, we’re not doing our job.”

“I’ve seen over my decade-plus a lot of bad plans around Syria. I’ve never seen any good plan,” says Sen. Mark Warner as rockets are fired at a US military base in Syria.

“This region has been more than a bit of a mess and chaos literally for the last two decades.” pic.twitter.com/rzoHM7MUEH

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) June 28, 2021