Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer on Friday announced his intention to introduce a resolution that would make climate change a national emergency.
“If Trump can call a national emergency for a fake crisis at the border, then surely Congress should call a national emergency for a REAL crisis,” he said in a statement.
BREAKING: Rep. Earl Blumenauer is Planning to introduce a resolution to declare a national emergency on the climate crisis.
“If Trump can call a national emergency for a fake crisis at the border, then surely Congress should call a national emergency for a REAL crisis.”
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) February 16, 2019
Blumenauer’s announcement comes after President Donald Trump’s Friday morning Rose Garden press conference during which he stated his intention to declare a national emergency at the border in order to potentially free up more funding for his proposed border wall.
Many, including several GOP lawmakers, have warned that such a declaration could end up hurting conservative causes in the long run. A Democratic president, they argue, could theoretically use such a declaration to further any issue they wished, from climate change to gun control. (RELATED: Does The Green New Deal Give Handouts To ‘Unwilling Workers?’ Here’s What It Actually Says)
The Oregon Democrat called Trump’s decision “profoundly disturbing” in a letter to fellow lawmakers.
“What our country should be doing right now is focusing efforts on addressing a real national emergency and one of the most pressing issues of our time: the climate crisis,” he said.
Blumenauer is one of the House sponsors of the Green New Deal, legislation originally introduced by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that would order a massive overhaul of the nation’s agricultural, travel, and economic system in the name of combating climate change.