A Green Marshall Plan for Nevada: Jobs, Security, and a Green Future

Friends,

NATO is now involved. It has shot down an Iranian missile heading into Turkish airspace. Turkey is a NATO member housing a major U.S. military base where the U.S. has nuclear weapons, including B-61 thermonuclear bombs. NATO’s Article 5 says an attack on one member of the alliance is considered an attack on all.

The United Kingdom has granted the U.S. access to its military bases for strikes on Iran. France is building a coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal. The Netherlands is weighing France’s request to help secure these shipping routes. The White House says Spain will cooperate with the U.S. military (Spain disputes this). Greece is sending planes and warships to its neighbor, Cyprus. Lebanon is ordering a mass evacuation in the country’s south.

Meanwhile, Russia, which has a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, is accusing the U.S. of using an “imaginary threat” from ​Iran as a pretext for overthrowing its constitutional order. Putin calls the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a “cynical violation of all norms of human morals and international law.”

Russia, Iran, and Venezuela are the world’s top producers of heavy crude oil that’s exported to dozens of nations to be processed by their refineries. This means that, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and much of Iran’s oil-producing capacity under attack, China — which had been the largest buyer of Iranian oil — will almost surely become more dependent on Russian oil, drawing the two superpowers closer.

Iran reports that over 1000 people have been killed by Israeli and American strikes. So far, at least 11 people have died in Israel as Iran has fired back. Six U.S. service members have been killed. We don’t have reports on the numbers injured.

Trump and Netanyahu’s war is rapidly escalating into a global conflict.

What about you, me, and every Nevadan in the 2nd Congressional District? Who is standing up for our interests—especially as affordability challenges mount and the cost of living continues to skyrocket? I am the only independent candidate running as a Democrat with a transformative platform to address these issues head-on, including universal affordability policies from cradle to grave. My plan includes a Universal Basic Income of $1,300 per month, funded by Nevada's mining revenues, to ensure no Nevadan is left behind.

In addition, I bring the deepest academic and professional experience in international relations, political science, and a Master’s in public administration from UNR. My lived experience is my PhD from the School of Hard Knocks: dropping out of college after 9/11, facing homelessness, and navigating the criminal justice system. I am the ONLY independent Democratic candidate for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District with this combination of expertise and real-world perspective—ready to serve our district with both vision and empathy.

This unique background shapes my unwavering commitment to defending the Constitution and the responsibilities that come with serving in Congress. It is part of what are known as “Enumerated Powers” — powers reserved to Congress, to the people’s representatives. Only Congress is authorized to “declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.”

So why are we at the precipice of World War III? And while global conflicts threaten to drive gas prices even higher—potentially reaching $120 a barrel and putting further strain on Nevada families—what is our reason for committing so many troops at such great cost and risk? What is America’s interest?

Trump isn’t saying, except to talk in vague generalities about Iran’s nuclear capacities, which experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency and in our own intelligence community say have been grossly exaggerated by Trump.

Where are the progressive voices warning of how a war like this can so easily escalate out of control? And where are the other candidates in this race for NVCD02—why aren't they speaking out as our district faces these urgent issues? Where are the historians telling us how other such calamities have begun? Where are the voices explaining all the domestic needs we are sacrificing to finance the U.S. military machine?

But I’m not even hearing much from the “America First” gang on the right, reminding Trump’s MAGA base that the war he is pulling us into violates a basic tenet of why he was elected.

Trump has launched a war in the Middle East that is already killing and wounding large numbers of men, women, and children. But he’s done it without our consent, without a plan, without a strategy, and without any clear idea about where it leads or how it ends.

Yesterday afternoon, Senate Republicans voted to block a measure from advancing that would limit Trump’s power to continue waging war against Iran without congressional authorization, turning back an effort by Democrats to insist that Congress weigh in on a sweeping and open-ended military campaign.

The 53-to-47 vote against taking up the measure was largely along party lines. (Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans against the measure, while GOP Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the sole Republican who voted with Democrats in favor of it.)

Yesterday's vote was just the latest in a series of failed war powers resolution efforts in both the House and Senate as Democrats have tried, but repeatedly failed, to rein in Trump’s ability to act without consulting with Congress.

I’m no isolationist. I believe America has responsibilities around the world. But the real existential threat we face is the climate emergency—one that demands bold, immediate action and a total reorientation of our priorities. Instead of letting the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about dictate our future, we need to build a renewable energy industrial complex. We should launch a Green Marshall Plan for clean energy—an international equivalent of the Green New Deal or Inflation Reduction Act—so the U.S. leads the world in climate solutions, not endless war.

Imagine every Nevada rooftop producing more energy than it consumes, with families exporting power back to the grid and receiving monthly checks. We must rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and supercharge our efforts to make up for lost time. And above all, we need diplomatic off-ramps to prevent perpetual war and invest those resources in our true fight: preserving a livable planet for future generations.

As your congressman, I will champion a Green Marshall Plan—an ambitious, international version of the Green New Deal and Inflation Reduction Act—to create thousands of good-paying jobs right here in the Silver State. By leading on renewable energy innovation, we can secure a prosperous future for Nevada’s families while tackling the climate crisis head-on.

Gamaliel “Gamy” Zavala Enriquez

Independent Democrat, Candidate for Congress, Nevada’s Second Congressional District

What are your thoughts?