Press Releases

WASHINGTON―Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) voted against H.R. 9 today, a bill to prevent President Trump from withdrawing from the Paris Agreement which President Obama unilaterally entered in August 2016 without the advice and consent of Congress. In addition, Rep. Estes signed a discharge petition today to force a vote on the proposed Green New Deal.

“Both the Paris Agreement and Green New Deal would cost our country trillions of dollars and impact millions of American jobs,” said Rep. Estes. “Although President Obama entered the Paris Agreement without consent from Congress, Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats want to revoke President Trump’s ability to withdraw from the disastrous treaty which put the United States at a disadvantage against countries like China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As House Democrats also debate the radical $93 trillion Green New Deal, I believe the American people should know where their Members of Congress stand on the massive government takeover of how we eat, travel and live. Protecting our environment and natural resources shouldn’t mean government control and international agreements that would bankrupt our country.”

Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, countries like China and India are given exemptions and allowed to increase their emissions until 2030. In addition, despite spending billions on energy initiatives, not a single European Union country is currently in compliance with their Paris Agreement commitments.

The United States is leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through innovation and technological development, reducing emissions by more than 18% between 2000 and 2014. However, President Obama entered the Paris Agreement without a cost-benefit analysis, which later found that meeting the agreement’s commitments could cost U.S. GDP $3 trillion and 6.5 million jobs by 2040.

The Green New Deal is projected to cost $93 trillion. Yesterday, Rep. Jody Hice (R-Georgia) filed a discharge petition to bring H.Res. 109, the Green New Deal resolution, to the floor for a vote. The petition requires 218 signatures to force a vote on the measure. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) brought the Green New Deal to a Senate vote in March, yet Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has so far refused to do so in the House. Rep. Estes has stated he would vote against the Green New Deal if it is brought to a vote.

Ron Estes is a 5th generation Kansan and represents Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means.