Leaders of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference (USCCB) praised President Joe Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and his “renewed American leadership on climate change.”
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Rockford Bishop David Malloy, head of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, posted a statement on the USCCB website Monday lauding the president’s efforts.
Noting that Biden convened the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22-23, the bishops asserted he has committed the nation to an “ambitious and welcome” goal.
“We commend the Biden Administration’s commitment to climate stewardship and environmental justice, consistent with the decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement,” the bishops declared.
“The Leaders Summit on Climate reflects renewed American leadership on climate change, and the pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030 is an ambitious and welcome national goal,” they continued.
“Consistent with the Holy Father’s call for integral ecology, the movement towards a net-zero emission world must also emphasize just transition so that working families who rely on the energy sector are not left behind,” the bishops added.
In early April, Biden unveiled his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, which the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial board dubbed “the Green New Deal in disguise.”
“As much as I think some parts of the party try to avoid saying ‘Green New Deal’ and really dance around and try to not use that term, ultimately, the framework I think has been adopted,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in reference to the plan.
As the WSJ noted, “more than half of his plan is dedicated to reducing CO2, with a goal of eliminating fossil fuels with a mix of federal spending, subsidies and regulation.”
In a separate op-ed, the WSJ editors asserted that Biden was “committing the U.S. to a far-fetched CO2 emissions goal without a vote of Congress,” which constitutes “a 10-year version of central economic planning.”
Unsurprisingly, Republican leaders have not been as sanguine toward Biden’s climate leadership as the U.S. Bishops.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), for instance, said Biden’s American Jobs Plan would create a “Soviet-style economy” if it becomes law.
Moreover, Perry said, Biden’s proposal to spend $10 billion to create a “Civilian Climate Corps” and $20 billion to advance “racial equity” and “environmental justice” do not qualify as “infrastructure.”
“This is not infrastructure,” he stated. “This is the same bait and switch that the Democrats always do when the current definition of theft or malfeasance doesn’t sit well with the American people, and so they just change the definition.”
For her part, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called the $2 trillion proposal a “Trojan horse for the radical left,” smuggling in devastating and costly provisions under the guise of infrastructure.
“Not even six percent of President Joe Biden’s massive $2 trillion ‘infrastructure’ bill would be used to build roads and bridges,” Blackburn said. “Biden’s plan includes the largest tax hike in nearly three decades, but of course, coastal elites will have their taxes slashed.
“It will strip Americans of their right to work by forcing them to join Democrat-backed unions,” she added. “This ‘infrastructure’ plan is another Trojan horse for the radical left.”
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