While touting his infrastructure plan in Illinois on Wednesday, President Biden poked fun at Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) reported remarks downplaying the dangers of climate change.
The president, speaking at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Ill., said that from 2010 to 2020, Illinois experienced 49 extreme weather events.
“Although, I heard today from the senator north of here that there — the Republican senator — is no global warming,” he said pointing to the crowd.
“Just so you know, there’s no such thing,” Biden added to laughs from the audience.
Johnson, according to CNN’s KFILE, said at a Republican luncheon earlier this summer, “I think climate change is — as Lord Monckton said — bullshit.”
“By the way, it is,” Johnson reportedly added.
Lord Christopher Monckton is a British climate change denier and conservative political pundit.
“But those weather events cost this state roughly $50 billion in damages,” Biden added in his remarks, referring to the Illinois extreme weather events.
“We’re going to upgrade the electric grid to make it more resilient to extreme weather and other threats. There’s a lot more the agreement’s going to do to encourage that physical infrastructure lays the foundation for a strong and durable and sustainable competitive economy,” he added.
In a statement to The Hill earlier Wednesday, Johnson said his opinions on climate change have been “consistent,” through his years in public life.
“I am not a climate change denier, but I also am not a climate change alarmist,” he said. “Climate is not static. It has always changed and always will change. I do not share Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s [D-N.Y.] view that the ‘world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.’ Or President Biden saying the ‘greatest threat’ to U.S. security is climate change.”
The president’s remarks in Illinois focused the need for investments in human infrastructure and clean energy, which are elements of a massive jobs and families plan that Democrats expect to pass through reconciliation.