Pelosi: Congress has ‘iron-clad’ commitment to climate crisis

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) promised world leaders Monday that Democrats in Congress have an “iron-clad” commitment to addressing climate change despite the Trump’s administration rollback of multiple environmental efforts.

Speaking at a United Nations conference in Madrid, Pelosi promised that the U.S. would continue to push for the goals set by the Paris climate agreement despite President Trump removing the country from the international pact.

“Congress’s commitment to take action on the climate crisis is iron-clad,” she said. “By coming here we want to say to everyone, ‘We’re still in. The United States is still in.’”

Flanked by 14 Democratic senators and representatives, Pelosi’s attendance at this year’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is meant to position congressional Democrats as counter figures to the White House, whose talking points have frequently derided the Paris climate accord, a capstone of the countries involved in this week’s international meeting.

“It’s our moral responsibility, if you believe as do I that this planet is God’s creation and we must be stewards of it. But if you don’t share that belief, we all agree we have a moral responsibility to our children to pass on this planet to our children in a very responsible way,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi journeyed to the event as part of a bicameral delegation with members of Congress who have been key figures in the party’s climate action push, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)  and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). The House in May passed a bill introduced by Castor that would force the U.S. to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and recommence steps to meet its emissions goals. The Senate has not taken up the bill for a vote.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries are attending the event in Madrid this week to hammer out details from the 2015 Paris climate accord. Trump is not scheduled to attend and sent no senior members in his wake.

Earlier this month, Trump took official measures to formally withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. The withdrawal would make the U.S. the only country to not be part of the accord.