Senator Ted Cruz repeated Donald Trump’s America-centered climate rhetoric when President Joe Biden returned to the Paris agreement on his first day in office.
Cruz, R-Texas, said in a tweet last Wednesday that, in returning America to the multinational climate deal, Biden indicated that he was more interested “in the opinions of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh.”
When Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the deal, the biggest international effort to curb climate change, in 2017 he said, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
Trump said the deal hurt the U.S. – part of its broader strategy to loosen restrictions on domestic oil, gas and coal producers. The USA is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China.
Cruz’s comment on Wednesday was met with criticism on Twitter, with users pointing out the obvious: the Paris agreement is a multinational effort.
France was just one of the 196 participants who committed to the 2015 agreement, which aims to keep average temperatures rising worldwide “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., replied to Cruz in a tweet, saying: “Quick question: do you also believe that the Geneva Convention dealt with the views of the citizens of Geneva?”
The Geneva Convention, a set of protocols that regulate armed conflicts, originates in Geneva, Switzerland, but is recognized by almost all countries in the world.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
Ocasio-Cortez presented a comprehensive political resolution called “Green New Deal”, which called for combating climate change, withdrawing the United States from fossil fuels in 2019, but was defeated in the Senate.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto also reacted to Cruz on Twitter, saying: “Here we go again…”
Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist joked in an apparent reference to Cruz’s tweet: “I’m very happy that the United States has finally joined the Pittsburgh Agreement. Welcome back!”
Meanwhile, Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Also criticized Biden’s decision to return to the Paris agreement, saying in a tweet it will cost American jobs and “will force families and small businesses to pay higher utility bills.” It is unclear what the costs of returning the US to the agreement – if any – would be for Americans, or how it would affect utility bills.
Biden’s return to the Paris agreement marks the beginning of a major policy reversal for the US on the international stage, but he is already facing resistance at home.
Moments after Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the deal on Wednesday, a group of Republican senators asked Biden to present his plan to involve the US in the deal with lawmakers for “review and consideration”.
The senators’ action reflects the deep political divisions over climate policy that could undermine Biden’s ambitious $ 2 trillion climate plan.
Reuters contributed to this report.
