Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday to defund any effort by the Trump administration to form an advisory committee on climate change, calling it a “fake climate panel.”
His floor remarks came after multiple media outlets reported that the White House is assembling a group of science advisers, including those who cast doubt on worst-case climate scenarios, to assess the federal government’s findings on global warming.
“So this morning I’m announcing that if the Trump administration moves forward with this fake climate panel, we will be introducing legislation to defund it,” Mr. Schumer said in his speech.
“It is long past time for President Trump and Republican leaders to admit that climate change is real, that human activity contributes to it, and Congress must take action to counter it,” he said.
Princeton physicist Will Happer, who has challenged catastrophic climate predictions, is reportedly involved in forming the presidential committee on climate security, which would be overseen by the National Security Council.
“This is beyond willful ignorance,” said Mr. Schumer. “This is intentional, deliberate sowing of misinformation about climate science by our own government.”
Reports say @realDonaldTrump plans to set up a fake panel at the @WhiteHouse of cherry-picked frauds who question the reality of climate change to “counter” the massive scientific consensus.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 26, 2019
If he does, @SenateDems will introduce legislation to defund it. pic.twitter.com/xfSfPu48PZ
Administration officials met Friday to discuss the panel’s formation, but no decision was reached and more meetings are expected, Bloomberg reported.
Not everyone was opposed to the idea. Climate Depot’s Marc Morano said it was “about time that the Trump administration is going to push back on the weak scientific claims of the climate-change establishment.”
“And they are no weaker than in the area of national security, said Mr. Morano, author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change.” “Let’s hope this new commission and the elevation of Dr. Happer in the administration will herald a new pushback on the increasingly desperate claims of ’settled’ science.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.