Press Releases

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) voted to uphold the historic Paris Climate Agreement, which the United States joined along with nearly 200 other countries in 2015. The central aim of the Paris Agreement was for the international community to work together through nationally determined contributions (NDC) to keep the global temperature rise to below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and to do everything possible to limit the temperature increase even further to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the US from the agreement in 2017. H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, would prohibit any federal funds from being used to take any action to advance the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.

“Combating the climate crisis is a moral imperative, and should compel us to act to ensure we live in and leave behind a healthier and more sustainable world for our children and grandchildren. That mission was at the core of the historic Paris Climate Agreement. President Trump’s decision to withdraw from this agreement was harmful, and a stunning abandonment of American leadership abroad. It hurt our planet by ignoring the perils of global climate change, it hurt our national security as a changing climate worsens tensions that lead to conflict such as food and water shortages, and finally it hurt our economy by denying economic opportunity from the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy that could create jobs in rapidly growing industries. I was proud to vote in favor of this legislation to prevent the U.S. withdrawal from this important agreement and lay the groundwork for additional bold action on climate. Now is not the time to tinker on the margins – this moment demands bold action, and as a cosponsor of the Green New Deal, I’m prepared to fight for it,” said Rep. Trahan.