WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement:
“This decision may be a win for Steve Bannon and Scott Pruitt and those who share their extremist views, but it’s a loss for everyone else. If completed, Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement will put the United States in the company of only two other nations on earth that do not belong to the pact: Nicaragua, which believes the agreement doesn’t go far enough, and Syria, which is in the midst of a horrific civil war.
“The American business community, including 58 Fortune 500 CEOs, strongly supports the Paris agreement. These businesses know that withdrawing will cede American leadership on the world stage, and diminish American economic opportunity. If we don’t aggressively lead the clean energy revolution, other nations will beat us—and they will capture the rewards in growing jobs and prosperity.
“Climate disruption is a planetary crisis, and we need every nation on the front lines of this battle. For America to retreat is a massive failure of leadership at a critical moment. An American retreat is great for the economies of China and India, and terrible for America’s economy. Donald Trump should quit damaging the American economy, and reverse this reckless and shortsighted decision.”
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