{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=d8805254-ceeb-49a0-8233-a8c65f8c12ce", "Barrasso: Climate Deal is Surrender of  American Energy Security, Reliability and Jobs", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor highlighting President Obamas plan to sign an international climate change deal without congressional approval.\r\nTranscript of Senator Barrassos remarks:\r\nThis week, the United Nations climate change conference is continuing in Paris.\r\nI understand that over the weekend, several Democratic senators went to Paris to watch part of the discussion.\r\nWell, Ive been talking with people from my home state of Wyoming about this  and I will tell you that the people of Wyoming are not happy.\r\nTheyre not happy about President Obamas plan to destroy American energy jobs, and the communities that depend on these jobs.\r\nTheyre not happy about the presidents plan to give away billions  billions - of U.S. taxpayer dollars to other countries.\r\nTheyre not happy about the presidents plan to ignore the will of the American people, and sign an expensive and destructive treaty on climate change in Paris.\r\nThats what they think the president is planning to do  and I think they are exactly right.\r\nLast Friday, the Foreign Relations subcommittee that I chair released a new report called: Senate Outlook on United States International Strategy on Climate Change in Paris 2015: A New Report on President Obamas Plan to Bypass Congress and Transfer American Taxpayer Funds Overseas.\r\nThis report shows how President Obama is supporting an effort to bypass Congress and sign a climate deal that will give money to developing nations.\r\nThis subcommittee report found four things:\r\nFirst, the report says that the president is making false promises to other countries about his ability to meet his own greenhouse gas reduction targets.\r\nPresident Obama has promised to cut back American energy production dramatically.\r\nThe administration is pushing power-plant regulations that will destroy jobs, and make electricity more expensive and also less reliable.\r\nBipartisan majorities in Congress  in the House and in the Senate - have rejected these regulations.\r\nSo president Obama wants to use this international agreement to force new regulations on the American people.\r\nThis administration has been doing all that it can to cripple American energy producers all over the country.\r\nIts piled new regulations onto coal producers.\r\nIts blocking exports of American crude oil, and liquefied natural gas.\r\nIt has set emissions standards that are designed to put power plants out of business.\r\nThat was the second thing that this report found.\r\nThe presidents unrealistic targets and timetables for reducing our carbon emissions are threatening jobs and are threatening communities across America.\r\nThe third main point in this report was that the president is forcing American taxpayers to pay for it  to pay for our past economic success through his contributions to the so-called Green Climate Fund.\r\nNow, I did a town hall event the other day in Wyoming , and I asked people what they thought of that plan and the president using their taxpayer dollars in this way.\r\n94 percent of the people in that town hall said that they oppose President Obamas plan to send their taxes to this United Nations climate slush fund.\r\nPresident Obama doesnt care.\r\nHe says he wants that money anyway.\r\nHe knows that American emissions have been declining over the last decade.\r\nHe knows that were not the biggest source of carbon dioxide in the world. Far more of the emissions are coming from developing countries.\r\nWell, those countries say that if theyre going to cut their emissions  if theyre going to be a part of President Obamas plan  they say somebody else is going to have to pay up.\r\nThey expect developed countries like the United States will foot the bill.\r\nHow much money do they want? What are we talking about?\r\nSo far, developing countries have said that they want at least $5.4 trillion  not millions, not billions, trillions - if theyre going to participate in President Obamas scheme.\r\nThats what 73 developing countries are demanding over the next 15 years.\r\nIt doesnt even count another 90 developing countries that havent made their demands public yet.\r\nThe reality is that a great deal of this money would end up lining the pockets of government officials in these developing countries.\r\nThe American people know it, they see through it  even if the Obama administration wont admit it.\r\nThat brings up the fourth thing that this report found. Our subcommittee found that the president plans to reach a climate change deal that ignores the American people and cuts them out of the process entirely.\r\nThe American public doesnt want these policies.\r\nCongress has passed laws to change these policies.\r\nThe Obama administration just goes on and on and makes its rules that it wants anyway.\r\nThe administration refuses to have accountability to the American people.\r\nSo, what are we talking about with regard to the money?\r\nWell, its interesting. Just today, this morning from Paris, a report from The New York Times, U.S. proposes raising spending on the climate change adaptation. Heres the byline from France: In an effort to help smooth the passage of a sweeping new climate accord here this week, Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Wednesday  announced today in Paris  a proposal to double its grant-based public finance for climate change adaptation. It says, Mr. Kerrys announcement came as the momentum toward a deal -- the momentum toward a deal  appeared to have hit a momentary snag.\r\nWhy? Oh, well, read further  The issue of money has been a crucial sticking point in the talks, as developing countries demand\" - demand  demand that richer countries open up their wallets...\r\nSo John Kerry is there to open up his wallet, open up the wallet of the American taxpayers because its not his money. Open up the American wallet, doubling what he's offering - doubling - to try to buy a solution that he wants to accomplish, even though it's in the direct face and opposition to the American public. This administration, President Obama, Secretary Kerry - out of touch with the American people who reject this expensive and destructive energy and climate policy.\r\nThe Obama administration is also out of touch with the rest of the world.\r\nThe Obama administration says that some parts of any agreement reached in Paris will be legally binding, and other parts wont be.\r\nBecause, obviously, we're the Congress. We're the elected representatives of the people. We have a say. So, he's saying parts are binding, some parts are not.\r\nWell, China says the whole thing is binding. The European Union say the entire thing is binding.\r\nSo whos right? President Obama or the rest of the world?\r\nThe Obama administration says that it will give billions of our tax dollars to these developing countries.\r\nThat includes a lot of countries who dont like us very much. Doesnt seem to care to the president.\r\nThe developing countries say they want trillions. John Kerry is there in Paris today doubling the amount of money that the president has promised, doubling just to try to buy support for something the American people dont support. \r\nAnd its interesting because if you think back just a couple of months, President Obama was frantic  desperate - to get a deal with Iran over its nuclear program because of his legacy  and he signed a terrible deal. By all accounts, a terrible deal.\r\nAnd now hes doing it again.\r\nHe is once again frantic, once again desperate to get a climate deal in Paris. Why? Because of his so-called legacy, so hes planning once again to sign a terrible deal.\r\nAnd he has his Secretary of State John Kerry there giving speeches and making the promises  promises the American public will have to pay for if they get their way.\r\nNow, Iran says that it will play the Obama administrations game on emissions and reduce its carbon emissions like the president wants.\r\nBut before it does, it expects the Obama administration to lift all of the remaining sanctions from the Iranian deal. All of the sanctions. It wants the United States and other countries to give them $840 billion over the next 15 years. Thats whats at stake here, and those are the things the president continues to give away.\r\nAs he surrenders our energy security, our energy reliability, our energy jobs. A surrender by the president.\r\nHe is desperate for approval by the other countries, when he should be focusing on the United States.\r\nHe seems to want to promise any policy, pledge any amount of money to get it.\r\nThe American people oppose sending their money to a United Nations climate slush fund.\r\nAs their elected representatives, Congress must not allow the president to continue to try to buy popularity for himself using Americans tax dollars.\r\nCongress must not allow the president to use this meeting in Paris to advance his own legacy at the expense of the American people and the American economy.\r\n###\r\nhttps://www.barrasso.senate.gov", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=d8805254-ceeb-49a0-8233-a8c65f8c12ce"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1406280100345612, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}