It seems everybody has something to say about the Green Climate Fund lately. Congressional appropriators in recent days have gotten an earful about the international investment program to counter climate change, with letters coming from both sides of the aisle, both houses of Congress, and both sides of the issue.
Last Friday, a group of 22 Republican senators, led by Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), penned a letter to Senate appropriators, urging them not to approve the administration’s request for $750 million for the fund n fiscal 2017. “We stand firmly opposed to taxpayer dollars going to the GCF. Congress has never authorized or specifically approved funding for the GCF. Giving billions of dollars to an international climate fund is a significant waste of American resources,” the letter says.
Meanwhile, House Democrats issued a letter Tuesday urging their appropriators to approve the funds. “The Green Climate Fund is a critical tool to the multinational effort to address climate change, and funding will be used to invest in resilient and low-emission development around the world. U.S. support for the GCF is absolutely critical to the fund’s success and ensuring that developing nations are engaged in addressing our climate challenge,” the group of 71 representatives wrote.
