October, 06 2020, 12:00am EDT
Mike Pence's Terrible Record Of Science Denial
As Mike Pence and Kamala Harris prepare to take the debate stage in Salt Lake City, voters around the country are overwhelmingly concerned about climate-fueled extreme weather
WASHINGTON
As Mike Pence and Kamala Harris prepare to take the debate stage in Salt Lake City, voters around the country are overwhelmingly concerned about climate-fueled extreme weather events, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the Trump-Pence administration's abject failure to deal with both.
The vice president has a disturbing history of ignoring science and siding with Big Oil -- and has been a key player in the Trump-Pence administration's decision to put climate deniers and Big Oil lobbyists into key government jobs. During Wednesday's debate, Mike Pence must be pushed to explain his well-documented record of furthering environmental injustices and protecting the profits of polluters over people.
"Mike Pence denies science, he denies the climate crisis, and he denies the dangers of COVID-19," said Climate Power 2020 Executive Director Lori Lodes. "As climate fires rage out West and yet another supercharged hurricane threatens the Gulf Coast, voters want our leaders to take bold action on climate because the climate crisis is real, it's here, and it's impacting our daily lives. Instead of bold action, Pence has only offered more denial, chaos, and handouts to Big Oil CEOs and polluters."
The facts don't lie. Mike Pence's Record is Terrible:
- Pence is a climate denier. Pence, who had a lifetime score of 4% on the National Environmental Scorecard has called climate change a "myth" and said the evidence was "simply not there."
- Pence has been described as a "loyal political ally" of the Koch brothers.
- In his last gubernatorial campaign, Pence raised more than $850,000 from the energy sector.
- Pence turned his back on Black communities. Pence ignored pleas for help when a lead crisis impacted mostly-Black East Chicago, IN, but immediately responded to lead contamination in a 97% white community in the same year.
- The Trump-Pence administration has also rolled back at least 100 environmental rules and regulations - many of which were designed as safeguards to protect frontline communities from pollution.
- Pence is anti-science. Pence's refusal to believe in science led to public health crises - responsible for accelerating an HIV epidemic in Indiana and the Trump administration's failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic (which he led).
- As Republican Conference leader in the House, Pence hosted a mock climate change hearing where he brought climate deniers together to oppose action on climate change.
- Pence voted six times to overrule scientists.
- Pence killed 19,000 clean energy jobs. Mike Pence effectively killed the Energize Indiana program that created 19,000 Hoosier jobs while also saving energy.
- The Pence family forced taxpayers to clean up their pollution. Pence's family gas station business left Indiana taxpayers with $21 million in cleanup costs from contaminated sites.
- Kiel Bros Oil Co, the Pence family gas station chain led by Mike Pence's brother, Greg, racked up debt and environmental fines in the early 2000s, eventually filing for bankruptcy and leaving behind contaminated sites that left Indiana taxpayers with $21 million in cleanup costs.
Climate Power 2020 is putting the Trump administration on defense every single day for ignoring experts, refusing to believe in science, surrendering our government to big oil executives, and gutting public health protections, all at the expense of future generations. The 2020 presidential election is the defining moment for how our nation addresses the climate crisis--our leaders must be emboldened to take immediate action on climate change and to build a just and equitable economy. The time to act is now. Learn more: climatepower2020.org
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Even if the bill passes the Senate, President Joe Biden has threatened to veto it.
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Despite U.S. President Joe Biden's threat to veto the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, 16 Democrats in the House of Representatives on Thursday voted alongside 208 Republicans to pass the bill, which will now head to the Senate.
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"These are the fringe extremists of the Democratic Party."
"These 16 House Democrats just voted with Republicans to ignore U.S. human rights law and fast-track weapons to Israel," the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project said on social media, listing the lawmakers. "Shameful."
Noting that the bill would cut off funds from the National Security Council as well as the Defense and State departments until withheld weapons were sent to Israel, Justice Democrats declared, "These are the fringe extremists of the Democratic Party."
While generally supporting Israel's seven-month assault of the Gaza Strip—as critics worldwide decry it as genocide—Biden has recently halted the delivery of some weapons and threatened to withhold more from the Middle East ally, which has now killed over 35,272 Palestinians in the Hamas-governed enclave and wounded another 79,205, according to local officials.
The White House said in a statement earlier this week that the Biden administration "strongly opposes H.R. 8369," which "would undermine the president's ability to execute an effective foreign policy" and "could raise serious concerns about infringement on the president's authorities under Article II of the Constitution."
"The bill is a misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the administration's approach to Israel. The president has been clear: We will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. Our commitment to Israel is ironclad," the White House asserted. "The administration will continue to use all funds appropriated for Israel consistent with legal requirements, including in the recent supplemental, rendering this bill unnecessary and unwise."
"Furthermore, this bill, if enacted, could lead to spiraling unintended consequences, prohibiting the United States from adjusting our security assistance posture with respect to Israel in any way, including to address unanticipated emergent needs, even if Israel and the United States agree that military needs have changed and supplies should change accordingly," the White House warned.
The president has faced mounting pressure—including from some Democrats in Congress—to limit or fully cut off U.S. weapons to Israel, as rights groups have documented Israeli forces' use of American arms to commit alleged war crimes.
Despite such evidence, the Biden administration concluded in a report to Congress last week that Israeli government assurances about U.S. weapons use are "credible and reliable so as to allow the provision of defense articles" to continue.
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As the leading U.S. pro-Israel lobby's political action committee unleashes a nearly $2 million ad blitz targeting Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Jewish allies of the New York Democrat—who is an outspoken critic of what he and many experts call Israel's genocide in Gaza—on Thursday joined progressive lawmakers in condemning right-wing efforts to defeat pro-Palestine incumbents.
United Democracy Project (UDP), the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) super PAC, has booked $1.9 million in television ads to influence the outcome of the Democratic primary in New York's 16th Congressional District, according to Wednesday reporting by Sludge's David Moore.
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"It undermines the very foundation of our democracy, which must be built on the principles of transparency, accountability, and genuine representation," Jews for Jamaal added.
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Bush said that Latimer "is being used as a Trojan Horse for far-right billionaires and anti-abortion extremists."
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"Yes, Trump, 'I am a hater' of yours."
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