Independent Government Assessment: international climate funding shouldn't be a target for cuts

With draconian budget cuts proposed by the House Republicans, an independent assessment suggests that none of the international climate funding efforts should be targeted.  Of course waste and duplication weren’t the rationale for the House passed cuts as they took a “meat axe” to anything and everything that helps protect our health and environment or helps to deploy clean energy.  International investments to help deploy clean energy, reduce deforestation emissions, and assist the most vulnerable in adapting to the impacts of climate change were gutted in the House passed bill.  So this new study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a strong signal that international climate investments shouldn’t be on the chopping block.

Yesterday the GAO issued a report – requested by Republicans – that documents billions of dollars in government waste due to duplicative and inefficient programs.  None of the cuts proposed to the State Department, the US Agency for International Development, or the Treasury Department were programs that support international climate investments.  Basically the report said: look elsewhere.

Of course this review didn’t look at the extent to which US investments bring tangible benefits to America.  If they did such an assessment they would find that our international climate investments are worth the resources as they bring concrete benefits to American businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers.

So Congress, listen to the independent review you requested and look elsewhere for your budget cuts.