Markey: Passing reconciliation bill "precondition" for successful climate summit

What he's saying: "If the United States is going to be the leader, we have to pass this legislation," Markey said.

• "You cannot preach temperance from a barstool, you cannot tell the rest of the world that they should reduce their emissions if we ourselves are not leading the way," he added.
• "So, the passage of all of this legislation is the precondition to a successful summit where President Biden is able to say to the leaders in the leading industrialized countries in the world that they, too, have to partner with us in order to save the planet."
• "But first, Congress must act or else the president will not have enough on the table in order to persuade them that the United States is serious about these issues."

Watch the full event here.

Editor's note: This interview was conducted prior to Democrats announcing a deal on a $3.5 trillion outline to address "human" infrastructure, which they plan to pass via reconciliation.