Late last year, I wrote a bulletin on the amount of regulations the Obama Administration proposed for 2015. That number was an astounding 3,415 regulations. A quick review of them makes it clear that many of these regulations, particularly from the Environmental Protection Agency, will harm American families, farmers, small businesses and our economy in general.
However, if that wasn't bad enough - the Obama Administration's work wasn't quite done yet for the year.
In the same month the regulatory plan was released, the president also pledged to give $3 billion in taxpayer funds to the United Nations' Green Climate Fund. Not only does he want to pile on more regulations, but he wants to fund feel-good conferences and engage in questionable science with your dollars.
And just so you know, the U.N. Green Climate Fund slush fund is controlled by unelected, international bureaucrats who will transfer money to the governments of poorer nations - including some run by despots and dictators. In addition, the president has already spent an estimated $120 billion on climate change policies since coming to office in 2008.
During the president's recent State of the Union speech he announced he would double down on pursuing the same U.N. climate policies that have failed time and time again over the past two decades. He even lauded the deal he struck with China in which America will immediately double our emissions reductions in exchange for the "promise" that China "intends" to cap its emissions sometime in the next couple of decades.
These are just the same good intentions and broken promises that are produced every year at the U.N.'s climate conferences. The only difference is the president is now willing to play along and pay for it with taxpayer funds.
That is why, this year, the first piece of legislation that I introduced is aimed to prevent Americans' dollars from being used for any of the U.N.'s global warming slush funds. My legislation, the No Tax Dollars for the U.N.'s Climate Agenda Act would fully defund U.S. contributions to the U.N.'s International Panel on Climate Change, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the Green Climate Fund. The omnibus appropriations passed at the end of 2014 blocked funding for the Green Climate Fund until September but we must make this prohibition permanent.
As American taxpayers, you made it clear you want to reduce and prioritize our nation's spending - just like I do. You also made it clear the country is suffering under the regulatory burden the Obama Administration has placed upon our nation's small businesses and families.
I will continue to combat onerous regulations and work to keep more money in your pocket. We can take one step forward in the right direction by passing this legislation and ensuring that no future taxpayer dollars are sent to the coffers of the U.N.'s climate change slush funds.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
Link: