Energy & Environment

171 House Dems slam Trump’s Paris Agreement withdrawal

The vast majority of the House Democratic caucus is co-sponsoring a resolution to condemn President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris climate change agreement.

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) led 170 of his colleagues in introducing the nonbinding resolution Friday, which “strongly disapproves of the president’s announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.”

The resolution cites the public health, national security, economic and other threats of climate change.

{mosads}It also posits that there would be numerous benefits to the United States of remaining in the agreement and asks Trump to rejoin the agreement as soon as possible.

The resolution was introduced just over two weeks after Trump announced his intention to pull out of Paris, a nonbinding pact of nearly 200 nations to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

“Unilaterally withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement is short-sighted in the extreme,” Schneider said in a statement.

“Today’s Resolution sends a strong message that House Democrats stand united in support of the Paris agreement, and in solidarity with the cities and states across the country that have demonstrated leadership by committing to continue honoring the goals of the agreement,” he said.

The co-sponsors account for nearly nine out of 10 Democrats in the House.

Former President Barack Obama pledged under the pact that the United States would cut its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025.