WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) will introduce a Senate resolution calling on President Biden to submit the Paris Climate Agreement to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent as required by the Constitution before joining a treaty. 

In 2016, President 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.

“I opposed the Obama administration’s decision to enter into the Paris climate accord without appropriate congressional input, and again, when the Trump administration pulled out of the accords, I reiterated that Congress should have a role in consenting to such agreements,” said Sen. Moran. “I urge President Biden, before he rushes our country back into the flawed Paris Agreement, to submit it to the Senate for consideration to avoid making a consequential decision that lacks input from Congress. Re-entering this agreement would be damaging to jobs in the United States at a time when we need to focus on reopening the economy and helping people return to work.”

“The Paris Agreement is a poorly negotiated, fatally flawed treaty that represents a bad deal for American families everywhere, especially in Montana,” said Sen. Daines. “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 Sen. 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,” said Sen. Lummis. “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.”

“The Paris Agreement is a bad deal for America and a bad deal for Kansas,” said Sen. Marshall. “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.”

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