U.S. SENATE— U.S. Senator Steve Daines 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.
“The Paris Agreement is a poorly negotiated, fatally flawed treaty that represents a bad deal for American families everywhere, especially in Montana,” Daines 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.”
Senator Daines is the Chair of the Senate Western Caucus and sits on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Daines will introduce the Senate resolution with Senators Crapo (Idaho), Barrasso (Wyo.), Lummis (Wyo.), Moran (Kan.) and Marshall (Kan.). Several other western senators are expected to sign on.
Background:
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.