Several Republicans in the House, led by Texas’s Representative Chip Roy, have introduced a bill to eliminate funding for Secretary of State John Kerry’s climate change position.
The act aims to stop federal monies from going to Kerry’s office for salaries, administration, and travel. (It is called the No Taxpayer Funding For Climate Zealots Advancing Radical Schemes Act.)
Kerry became the first envoy on climate after being nominated by President Biden in 2021. He will join the president’s inner circle without needing Senate confirmation and serve on the National Security Council.
Roy said that “Climate czar” John Kerry is “the poster child for the anti-energy policies that are destroying our economy and national security.”
He said that John Kerry’s trip to China, the biggest polluter and most significant danger to American security, would further restrict access to clean energy. According to Roy, climate skeptic bureaucrats like John Kerry ought to have their money cut off forever.
Since assuming office, Kerry has advocated for a worldwide transition from fossil fuels toward renewable energy options at climate conferences and diplomatic events worldwide.
Republicans have complained that the global climate policy spearheaded by Kerry in the Biden administration conceals too much about its inner workings and personnel. The annual budget for the special presidential envoy on climate change is around $13.9 million, and the agency is permitted to employ 45 workers.
Kerry was criticized by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) for his lack of transparency last week for refusing to reveal the names of those who worked in his office at a congressional hearing.
Even though China is the world’s greatest polluter, Republicans have blasted Kerry for conducting covert discussions with them on behalf of the United States. This year, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., began investigating Kerry’s role in the negotiations and promised a comprehensive review of his most recent climate conversations with Chinese officials.
On Wednesday, Kerry held a news conference declaring that his trip to China had resulted in no formal agreement on fighting global warming.
