House Passes Castor-Led Bill to Stay In Paris Climate Agreement

WASHINGTON (May 2, 2019) - The U.S. House today voted 231 to 190 for the Climate Action Now Act (H.R. 9), a bill that would prevent the Trump Administration from withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Below is a statement from Rep. Kathy Castor, the bill’s sponsor and chair of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis:

“Democrats said we would honor our commitment to act on the climate crisis. Now we’re delivering. This is the first major piece of climate legislation to pass the House in 10 years and it won’t be the last.

“The Paris Climate Agreement carbon pollution reduction goals are vital to the growing clean energy economy and avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Instead of cutting and running from this agreement as President Trump proposes, the House voted to honor our commitment. When America leads on cutting carbon pollution, the world follows, so this is a major signal to our allies that Americans overwhelmingly support this agreement. We deserve clean air, family-sustaining jobs in the growing clean energy industry, and policies that work for the people, not corporate polluters.

“I’m grateful to citizens across America who are speaking loud and clear on climate change. I’m appreciative of my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and my fellow members of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis for their work on this legislation. This is exactly the sort of collaboration we need to address the climate crisis. And I’m thankful for the Republican members who embraced bipartisanship today and voted in favor of this bill. America’s leadership, the health of our families and the health of our planet should not be partisan issues."