Washington, DC – This evening U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and several other Democrats invited Senate Republicans to join them on the Senate floor to discuss the best ways to address climate change. All 45 Republican Senators were invited, but the only one to come to the floor was famed climate-change-denier James Inhofe (R-OK).
“Climate change is among the most serious threats facing our environment, our public health, our economy, and our national security, and yet not a single Republican Senator was willing to have a serious discussion about the issue this evening,” said Whitehouse. “All we heard from the other side of the aisle this evening was outright denial, and then utter silence. It’s sad to see a once-proud political party ignore scientific facts and shrink from serious challenges, and I truly hope that some of my Republican friends will re-engage on this issue before it is too late.”
In March, more than 30 Democratic Senators, led by the Senate Climate Action Task Force, held the floor of the Senate for an entire night to urge Congress to wake up and take action on climate change. This evening’s floor time was intended to give Republican Senators an opportunity to weigh in on the issue and present their own perspective.
The invite letter sent by Whitehouse and others to their colleagues is attached.
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