Freshman Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) said she does not support the Green New Deal "overall," during a Tuesday evening town hall in her district.
Spanberger said that plan, proposed by fellow freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), has a "bold compilation of ideas meant to address global climate change," but is not specific enough in how it aims to solve the problems it identifies, the Washington Post reports.
The ideas promoted by the deal's framers include replacing or upgrading every building America with green energy alternatives, building "high-speed rail at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary," and providing economic security to people "unwilling to work," according to an FAQ released and then deleted by Ocasio-Cortez's office.
Spanberger is one of 15 Democrats in the House of Representatives who did not vote for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) for House speaker. She narrowly won her district in 2018, running on a centrist platform.
At the town hall, Spanberger also answered questions about the recent backlash Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D.) received for comments about late-term abortion. The controversy was the start of multiple others that rocked the state's Democratic Party over Northam wearing blackface in the past, accusations of sexual assault against the lieutenant governor, and an admission by the attorney general that he also once wore blackface.
Spanberger said she did not support the state bill proposed by Virginia Del. Kathy Tran (D.) that would expand access late-term abortions up to the moment before birth, supported by Northam.
Tran said her bill would allow women to seek abortions even if they were "dilating." Northam supported the bill, and seemingly expanded it to include infanticide in an interview where he said, "a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother" over what to do with a born child. Spanberger said she disagreed with these decisions.
"I don't see the need, frankly for the bill that Kathy Tran was pushing," she said. "There are already legal parameters that women facing those sorts of circumstances can have hard conversations with her physician about the right steps forward."
Spanberger also addressed the ongoing debate over border security, defending her opposition to President Donald Trump's border wall, but also adding that she opposes sanctuary cities.
"I don’t support safe haven for criminals," she said. "But I do also support ensuring that jurisdiction is upheld."