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White House Dismisses Senator Whitehouse’s COP30 Complaints as “Green New Scam”
The White House has characterized Senator Sheldon Whitehouse as a victim of the “Green New Scam” after the Rhode Island Democrat publicly criticized the Trump administration for refusing to fund or support his attendance at the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil.
During a press conference at the Capitol on Thursday, Whitehouse displayed his conference badge, drawing attention to the fact that it identified him as a representative of the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) rather than the United States government.
“For the first time in history that I’m aware of, the State Department refused to support or facilitate my travel or my credentialing,” Whitehouse said, noting that the executive branch typically provides support for congressional delegations to international events.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers responded forcefully to the senator’s complaints. “Sadly, Senator Whitehouse has fallen victim to the biggest scam of the century: the Green New Scam,” Rogers said. “The senator can foolishly spend time and money attending this radical ‘climate’ conference, but the Trump administration refuses to waste taxpayer dollars.”
The situation marks a significant shift in U.S. climate diplomacy. Under former President Joe Biden, the administration sent Clinton confidant John Podesta to lead a substantial American delegation to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2024. In contrast, the Trump administration has largely ignored the current climate summit, which has also been attended by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who joined Whitehouse at the press conference, criticized the administration’s approach, claiming that Trump is showing unwillingness to address “issues of importance to the American people,” including climate change.
“The Trump administration and the United States government chose not to be involved and engaged at the most recent conference, essentially ceding leadership on this issue in the world to our rival: the Chinese Communist Party — while leaving America and Americans behind,” Jeffries stated.
Whitehouse’s criticism extended beyond logistics, as he claimed President Trump “represents the fossil fuel industry, and specifically his big billionaire fossil fuel donors” rather than the American people on climate matters. The senator emphasized the importance of carbon pricing policies, stating that while “good things have come out of COP30 so far,” effective climate action requires such mechanisms.
The senator also revealed that he warned European attendees to maintain their climate commitments despite potential pressure from the Trump administration.
Critics have pushed back against Whitehouse’s complaints. Daniel Turner, founder of energy policy advocacy group Power The Future, called the senator “out of touch” and criticized him for “taking a tropical vacation” during what he described as fallout from “Democrats’ government shutdown.”
Turner also referenced a segment where Whitehouse filmed himself at COP30 commenting on the large Chinese delegation presence. “I will never kiss the boots of the Communist Chinese that use slave and child labor to build crappy wind and solar which drives up the price of American electricity,” Turner said.
In a statement defending his attendance at COP30, Whitehouse argued that Republican “corruption” deliberately increases costs for American families to benefit fossil fuel industry donors. He emphasized his hope to “rally our allies to stay steady on climate action” despite what he called “attacks from the fossil fuel villains running the Trump administration.”
The State Department, now led by Secretary Marco Rubio, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
This dispute highlights the stark contrast in climate policy approaches between the current Trump administration and its predecessor, reflecting broader tensions over America’s role in global climate governance and the domestic political divisions surrounding environmental policy.
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6 Comments
I’m curious to learn more about the logistics and politics behind congressional delegations to international climate conferences. It’s concerning if the executive branch is obstructing participation, but we’d need more details to fully evaluate the situation.
Agreed, the lack of transparency around these decisions is troubling. The public deserves to understand how these travel and credentialing choices are made, regardless of partisan affiliations.
As someone interested in the mining/energy sector, I’m concerned about the political gridlock around climate policy. Regardless of one’s views, obstructing participation in international dialogues seems counterproductive. I’d encourage all stakeholders to engage constructively on these vital issues.
This is a complex issue with reasonable arguments on both sides. I hope the relevant parties can move past partisan attacks and find ways to meaningfully address climate change through international cooperation and diplomacy.
The ‘Green New Scam’ label seems overly partisan and dismissive. While there are valid debates around climate policy, resorting to such charged rhetoric is unlikely to advance constructive solutions. I’d like to see more nuance and good-faith engagement from both sides.
This seems like another partisan squabble over climate change funding. While I understand the senator’s frustration, the White House’s dismissive response is not helpful. We need constructive dialogue on these important issues, not political mudslinging.