I am a Jew from St. Louis. That is why I support Cori Bush.

Over the past few weeks, I have read countless opinions on social media and in the news that St. Louis Jews will vote against Cori Bush in Tuesday’s congressional primary. But I am a St. Louis Jew, and I couldn’t be more proud to support her.

Part of this is, of course, due to Cori’s courageous commitment to the people of Gaza, a commitment that has made her a target of right-wing donors eager to remove anyone who supports Palestinian rights from office. But I want to talk about her approach to an issue that, while it hasn’t received as much attention, is an equally vivid demonstration of Cori’s values, character, and courage. That issue is climate change.

Poll after poll ranks climate as a top issue for American Jews, and I wholeheartedly agree. I spent the last few years as the political director of the Sierra Club Missouri, and I can’t think of a better champion of climate than Cori Bush.

As we experience the hottest summer on record, it is more critical than ever that our government invest in renewable energy. Representative Bush has led the way, introducing and passing legislation that has generated over $1 billion in climate investments to protect our future. In 2022, the House passed Cori’s Energy Security and Independence Act, which allocated over $100 million under the Defense Production Act to invest in and deploy clean energy technologies. These historic investments have allowed federal agencies to move faster to meet their climate goals. This is a huge step forward in converting the country to green energy.

He also recognized that climate change and pollution have not impacted everyone equally. That’s why he introduced the Environmental Justice and Mapping Act, which was passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation provides $60 million to the federal government to collect data on how climate change and environmental pollution impact different communities. This is vital information that will allow the federal government to target resources to communities that have faced racism and environmental injustice. Bush, more than any politician I’ve ever met, is committed to ensuring that the legislation he promotes corrects historic injustices, including the toll pollution and climate change have had on Black, brown, and working-class communities.

Congresswoman Bush has recognized that climate change is not a distant problem, but something that is affecting us right now. In the wake of the devastating floods in St. Louis, she secured more than $200 million for public transportation systems affected by natural disasters across the country, including $27 million for the St. Louis area.

We look forward to investing in building resilient communities that can withstand the destruction that climate change will wreak. We must ensure that Bush can remain in office to continue to fight for the communities on the front lines that are bearing the brunt of climate disaster.

Bush has consistently taken a stand to clean up dangerous pollution and oppose new projects that would fuel further climate change. She fought hard to clean up radioactive waste at the Westlake Landfill, which contaminated Coldwater Creek and endangered nearby residents. She also worked to hold local gas company Spire Energy accountable after it warned St. Louis residents that there could be power outages unless its illegally built pipeline was approved by the federal government. Representative Bush directly called out Spire’s misinformation, condemned its action, and then encouraged the federal regulator that oversees pipelines to investigate Spire. Cori isn’t afraid to stand up to fossil fuel companies and polluters to keep our communities safe.

Some criticized Rep. Bush for voting against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, saying it undermined historic investments in green jobs and infrastructure. In reality, she voted with other progressives who were trying to ensure that President Biden’s broader Build Back Better Act wouldn’t be scrapped as soon as the smaller, more moderate Infrastructure Bill passed. Unfortunately, Rep. Bush was proven right when moderate Democrats joined Republicans to block the Build Back Better Act. She has voted with the AFL-CIO every other time, and while the vote on the infrastructure bill took place in 2021, it wasn’t even an issue in her 2022 reelection race.

Most of the attack ads and flyers criticizing this principled vote come from the United Democracy Project, the GOP mega-donor-funded super PAC affiliated with the right-wing American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC is attacking Rep. Bush because of her principled stand in opposing the Israeli military’s brutal assault on Gaza, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, forced most of Gaza’s residents from their homes and to the brink of starvation, and caused an ecological disaster. Her commitment to the fundamental right to life, security, and liberty for Palestinians and Israelis is a reason to support her, not spend millions of dollars attacking her.

Climate change is the greatest threat our community faces, with each year bringing new “once-in-a-lifetime” natural disasters and record-breaking temperatures. If we are to address this existential threat, we cannot elect a moderate with close ties to hardline Republicans. We must send Cori Bush back to Congress to continue fighting for us, for All our.