Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.-05), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee, and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas-10), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have penned a follow-up letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking clarity on the leadership structure for climate policy in the Biden administration.
The committee leaders expressed concern over John Podesta's role in international climate policy, stating that his actions "appear to far exceed the characterization of Mr. Podesta’s role in the initial response to the Committees as merely to lead ‘interagency coordination’ for the administration’s international climate policy."
In January 2024, it was announced that John Kerry would be stepping down from his position as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC), with John Podesta set to continue leading global climate efforts as Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy.
Rather than nominating Podesta for Kerry's former SPEC role—a move that would require Senate confirmation—President Biden appointed him to a new White House-based position with responsibilities similar to those previously held by Kerry.
Republican leaders from both EPW and E&C committees voiced their concerns about this appointment in a March 5, 2024 letter to President Biden, suggesting that this move could be an attempt by the administration to avoid congressional oversight of its international climate policy.
In response, the White House Counsel’s office stated that Podesta's role is not intended as a replacement for SPEC and emphasized that "the State Department will continue to lead international climate diplomacy, including negotiations, for the United States." However, despite this assurance and claims that Podesta would only coordinate "interagency" efforts, he has already met with foreign leaders twice since assuming his new role.
The full letter from the four committee leaders can be accessed here.
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