WASHINGTON — The Republican National Convention is underway, and national Republicans have made clear “the party has no plan to address climate change” – raising the stakes for the balance of power in the states to determine our country’s approach to this existential threat, especially if Republicans win increased power at the federal level.
Their plan is especially alarming as Donald Trump Jr. stated at the convention this week that the MAGA movement plans to sweep statehouses alongside the Presidency this November, saying, “I want to win legislatures.”
The GOP’s Project 2025 platform proposes “getting rid of” the federal government’s ability to combat climate change and pollution by eliminating pollution rules, dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and removing federal research on the crisis altogether.
As Republicans rally around this drastic upheaval of federal policy, building Democratic power in the states is essential to ensure action on the climate crisis. When former President Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord and dismantled rules creating clean power generation during his first term, Democratic-led state legislatures sprung into action. And under President Biden, state Democrats have complemented the administration’s agenda by going beyond federal protections to combat the climate crisis.
For example, recently elected and defended Democratic majorities in Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nevada have passed landmark legislation designed to generate carbon-free energy on various timelines from 2040 to 2050, showing how important the balance of power in the states is for addressing the climate crisis.
Time is running out to mitigate the effects of climate change, and meaningful progress is happening in the states. As Donald Trump and his allies plot a total takeover this November, Democrats in state legislatures will be the firewall that protects their states from the worsening climate crisis.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
“Republicans are rallying around Project 2025’s extreme proposal to abandon action around the existential threat of climate change. Republicans’ ability to dismantle our nation’s response to the climate crisis hinges on the balance of power in the states, which is why building and defending a blue firewall in the states is essential. We’ve seen this playbook before – when former President Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord and dismantled clean power rules, state Democrats sprung into action to mitigate his disastrous policies.
“Regardless of the outcome of the presidential race, Democratic power in the states will continue to counter MAGA Republicans in the states who are ready to carry out Trump’s agenda.”
The DLCC is the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in the states and setting the national agenda at the state level. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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