Marshall, Western Senators Introduce Resolution Calling for Senate Review as Biden Re-enters Paris Climate Agreement

(Washington, D.C., January 20, 2021) – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. and several western senators today announced plans to introduce a Senate resolution calling on President Joe Biden to submit the Paris Climate Agreement to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent as required by the Constitution before re-joining the treaty. This follows Biden announcing his intent to re-enter the United States into the Paris Climate Agreement which President Trump withdrew from last year. Senator Marshall will join Senators Steve Daines (MT), Mike Crapo (ID), John Barrasso (WY), Cynthia Lummis (WY), and Jerry Moran (KS) to introduce the Senate resolution. Several other western senators are expected to sign on.

“The Paris Agreement is a bad deal for America and a bad deal for Kansas. The deal will kill jobs and raise the price of energy, hurting Americans when many are struggling to stay on their feet. It will punish American energy providers with expensive regulations, dole out U.S. taxpayer money to foreign countries, and let China off the hook for their role as the world’s largest polluter. President Biden should submit this deal to the Senate to fulfill its constitutional role to advise and consent. American’s should always have a say in the international treaties signed by their leaders,” said Senator Marshall.

“The Paris Agreement is a poorly negotiated, fatally flawed treaty that represents a bad deal for American families everywhere, especially in Montana,” SenatorDaines stated. “Rejoining this agreement places our country at a competitive disadvantage and will lead to higher energy prices for Montana families and job loss in a time when rural economies are devastated, all for minimal benefit. At the very least, I urge President Biden to do what the Obama administration refused to do and submit the Paris Agreement to the Senate for consideration as required under the Constitution.”

“A return to the Paris climate agreement will raise Americans’ energy costs and won’t solve climate change,” said Senator Barrasso. “Under the agreement, the Biden administration will set unworkable targets for the United States while China and Russia can continue with business as usual. It will result in spiking electricity bills and higher prices at the pump. These are additional burdens during a particularly tough time for Americans and for every small business. It hurts America’s competitiveness and gives a free pass to our adversaries. The Paris climate agreement is based on the backward idea that the United States is a culprit here, when in reality the United States is the leading driver of climate solutions.”

“While the Paris Climate Accord does nothing to hold accountable the biggest polluters in the world, it does tie an albatross around the necks of American businesses and brings critical energy innovation to a halt. It is a grave mistake to saddle American businesses with regulations that hurt productivity at home, but fail to hold China accountable for the massive amounts of pollution it manufactures. I urge the Biden Administration to reconsider their decision to hastily rejoin this agreement and examine the impact it will have on families and businesses not only in my home state of Wyoming, but throughout the entire United States,” said Senator Lummis.

Background:

In 2016, President Barack Obama entered the Paris Agreement without the consent of the Senate, going directly against the U.S. Constitution. Article II, section 2, clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that the President may only enter into an international treaty provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.

###