Climate Activists Fear Betrayal by Democrats

The New York Times editorial board is sold. “Democrats,” its headline advised, “take the deal.”

“The Senate this week is debating a bill on a subject that is more important than it sounds: permitting reform,” the Times observed. That package of reforms — the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) — is, the board contended, the remedy to what ails America’s lethargic construction space. “The status quo is expensive, dirty, and unstable,” they explained. “The country needs to build a lot of big, new things to make its future cheaper and cleaner.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The New York Times editorial board is sold. “Democrats,” its headline advised, “take the deal.”

“The Senate this week is debating a bill on a subject that is more important than it sounds: permitting reform,” the Times observed. That package of reforms — the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) — is, the board contended, the remedy to what ails America’s lethargic construction space. “The status quo is expensive, dirty, and unstable,” they explained. “The country needs to build a lot of big, new things to make its future cheaper and cleaner.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.