Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took Republicans to task on the Senate floor for failing to properly address climate change, referencing the ongoing tornado devastation in the Midwest as proof of that immediate action is needed.
“So, you may have a question for me,” the Rhode Island Democrat said, The Daily Caller reported. “Why do you care? Why do you, Sheldon Whitehouse … care if we Republicans run off the climate cliff like a bunch of proverbial lemmings and disgrace ourselves? I’ll tell you why. We’re stuck in this together. … When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to use, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover.”
Moreover, he said, the environmental damage suffered in other states stretches to Rhode Island “with floods and storms,” The Daily Caller said.
Speaking directly to Republicans, he said: “You drag America with you to your fate. … I want a Republican Party that has returned to its senses and is strong and a worthy adversary in a strong America that has done right by its people and the world. … I don’t want a Republican Party disgraced, that let its extremists run off the cliff, and an America suffering from grave economic and environmental and diplomatic damage because we failed, because we didn’t wake up and do our duty to our people,” The Daily Caller reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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