Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Malinowski delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. Here is the link to the video and below you can find his remarks:

“Madame Speaker, our Republican colleagues are right about one thing.  China is taking advantage of us.

But it’s not taking advantage of America being in the Paris Accord.  It’s taking advantage our retreat.

China is a strategic competitor, and it should pain all of us that everywhere around the world China is being treated like the leader in fighting climate change. It should pain us that China is investing more money in renewable energy than any other country.

It should pain us that they are surging ahead of us in electric vehicles. It should pain us that they are racing to dominate the global market in lithium batteries. That they have two thirds of the world’s high-speed rail and spent over $100 billion on it in 2018.

Why is China spending hundreds of billions of dollars to make the transition to clean energy? It’s not because the Chinese communist party loves trees.  It’s because they want to win the future.

I want America to win the future.  I want us to reap the economic benefits and the jobs that will go to whoever wins the race to a clean energy future.

And how do our Republican colleagues propose to win that race?  I’ve looked at their record in the years they controlled this House.  I searched in vain for one Republican free market-based plan.

What did I find?  Nothing.  Apart from a tax bill filled with giveaways to oil companies, and legislation to allow more oil drilling, to allow more methane emissions, to gut the Clean Air Act and to roll back the clean Power Plan.

That’s it.  That’s all you did.  And do you know who has left you behind? Do you know who wants us to stay in the Paris Accord, because they know our economic future depends on it?

I’ll tell you tell you who.

The Dow Chemical company wants us to stay in Paris. Bank of America wants us to stay. Dupont wants us to stay. Proctor & Gamble wants us to stay. General Electric wants us to stay. Cargill wants us to stay. Citi Group wants us to stay. Johnson & Johnson wants us to stay. Coca Cola wants us to stay. Exxon Mobil wants us to stay. The Walt Disney Company wants us to stay.

Not a lot of socialists of on their board.

Though I do have my doubts about Goofy from time to time.

So that’s our choice. We can cling to the past; we can let China win this race. Or we can stand with our American companies, our American scientists, our American innovators, and let them lead us into the future.”