Senate Democrats plan to send a letter to President Trump urging him not to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
“Withdrawal would be a serious misstep that would disadvantage American businesses, diplomats and the environment,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday.
Senate Foreign Affairs ranking member Ben Cardin, D-Md., said the U.S. should remain in the agreement or risk falling behind other countries that will take advantage of the green energy economy. Cardin said if the United States withdraws, other nations who participate in the agreement may impose carbon taxes on U.S. exports.
“America needs to be at the table,” Cardin said. “If we don’t do it, the economic opportunity will be grabbed up by other countries, particularly China.”
Trump pledged to withdraw from the Paris agreement during his campaign, but has not made a final decision. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump would not announce what he plans to do about the agreement until after the G-7 summit in Italy.
On Wednesday, Trump met with Pope Francis, who gave the president a copy of his a copy of his 2015 environmental encyclical identifying global warming and pollution as a man-made global danger.
“If President Trump reads the Pope’s writing, I’m convinced he’ll not withdraw from the agreement,” Schumer said. “We’ve got to get him to read the agreement.”
