Scalise, McKinley Introduce Resolution Condemning a Carbon Tax

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Congressman David B. McKinley P.E. (R-W.Va.) today re-introduced their resolution to condemn a carbon tax; a resolution they have introduced every Congress since 2013. Twenty members of Congress have already cosponsored the resolution. A carbon tax would be a costly, job-killing burden on American families and small businesses and would reverse the progress made towards achieving American energy dominance.

Congressmen Scalise and McKinley made the below statements upon introduction of the resolution.

Republican Whip Steve Scalise:

"Thanks to President Trump's leadership, America's energy economy is growing, and we are the world's dominant leader in exploration and production. By reducing taxes and reforming regulations on energy production, we have increased job opportunities, lowered prices on gas and electricity, and strengthened our national security by improving our ability to provide energy to our allies around the globe.

"But some Washington special interest groups are seeking to undo all of this progress and are calling for a costly, job-killing carbon tax. Some estimates show this tax would cost American families nearly $2,000 per year by increasing costs on everything from food and clothing to electricity. A carbon tax would be devastating to hard-working families, and is not the direction we need to be moving.

"With the introduction of our anti-carbon tax resolution, Congressman McKinley and I are calling on all members of Congress to show hard-working families that they stand for American energy dominance and against an expensive, ineffective carbon tax."

Congressman David B. McKinley P.E.:

"A carbon tax would be devastating to our nation's economy and take money from the pocketbooks of middle-class families. It is a regressive tax that would hurt the most those who can least afford it. Our national energy policy should embrace the use of all of our resources and include an innovation-focused approach to reducing emissions."

Key Stakeholder Groups Support the Resolution:

"We commend Steve Scalise for once again leading the charge against the carbon tax, which would derail our booming economy, hit lower-income Americans the hardest, and have no discernible impact on global warming." – Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment

"The case for a carbon tax fails on all fronts. It would harm American families and increase the cost of the energy they depend upon every day without making a meaningful impact on the environment. The American Energy Alliance supports the resolution introduced opposing such a catastrophic policy." – Tom Pyle, President, American Energy Alliance

"The American Farm Bureau Federation strongly supports the Scalise-McKinley resolution expressing congressional disapproval of a carbon tax. Agriculture is an energy-intensive sector, and profit margins are thin to non-existent. A carbon tax levied on farmers and ranchers would be devastating, especially in the current farm economy. We support this legislation and commend Rep. Scalise for spearheading this effort. We call on members on both sides of the aisle to lend their support to this resolution." – Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation

"I urge a vote FOR the Scalise and McKinley resolution putting Congress on record in opposition to any carbon tax. A carbon tax will raise the cost of living for ALL Americans. It will increase the cost of heating one's home in winter, of air-conditioning in the summer and raise the cost of filling one's car at the gas station. A carbon tax will price American goods out of world markets. Every left wing group and congressman wants a carbon tax—it is a European Style Value Added Tax (VAT) on training wheels. Every friend of American workers and taxpayers will vote YES for the Scalise and McKinley anti-carbon tax resolution." –Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

"In theory, using carbon taxes could be efficient and straightforward, but in practice, carbon taxes are anything but simple. The idea of a carbon tax exposes a dangerous view of tax policy, where government attempts to use the tax code as a tool to centrally plan economic decisions. The fundamental purpose of taxes is to raise necessary revenue for government programs, not micromanage a complex market economy with subsidies and penalties. The tax system's central aim should be to minimize distortions in the economy, and to interfere as little as possible with the decisions of free people in the marketplace."– Jonathan Williams, Chief Economist and Vice President, Center for State Fiscal Reform

"The Center for Worker Freedom supports Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Congressman David McKinley's Carbon Tax Resolution because a carbon tax would lead to fewer jobs and less income for American workers." – Olivia Grady, Center for Worker Freedom

"A carbon tax would do tremendous damage to the thriving U.S. economy by raising the cost of all products and services. Those new costs would be shouldered by lower- and middle-income Americans and would ultimately kill jobs. Instead, Congress should build on the pro-growth policies that have already jump-started America's current economic boom." – Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

"A tax on carbon dioxide emissions would not just raise prices on 80% of the energy people use for electricity, heating, cooling, and transportation. It would also raise prices on nearly all goods and services that take energy to produce and deliver. The most undemocratic aspect of the carbon tax bills introduced is that they include automatic escalators, which means that once enacted taxes would go up every year and members of Congress would never again have to vote to raise the tax. Every member of Congress should enthusiastically support Representatives Scalise and McKinley's anti-carbon tax resolution." –Myron Ebell, Director of the Center for Energy and Environment, Competitive Enterprise Institute

"A carbon tax is nothing more than a way for our country's elites to feel good about the environment while the rest of Americans bear the brunt of skyrocketing electricity and gasoline costs. Whip Steve Scalise's resolution exposes a carbon tax for what it is: a tax hike on hardworking Americans." – Jessica Anderson, Vice President, Heritage Action for America

"A carbon tax would be devastating to millions of American women and their loved ones, causing their electricity bills and transportation costs to skyrocket, as well as suppressing their wages. It's also unfair: it would harm poor and middle-income families the most. Every dollar in the household budget counts. During a time when we are celebrating long overdue wage increases and income tax cuts, the idea of increasing taxes on basic necessities, like energy, should be off the table." – Heather R. Higgins, CEO, Independent Women's Voice

"The government artificially setting a price for carbon and taxing the Americans public is not a free market answer to reducing carbon emissions. It would only further burden the wallets of Louisiana families while discouraging investment in the state. Rather innovations such as fracking have led to a reduce in carbon emissions while providing Louisiana families the affordable and reliable energy they deserve." – Pelican Institute for Public Policy

"Carbon taxes sound simple enough, but in practice they are nothing more than another economically-harmful cash and power grab by the federal government. Market pressure is already pushing industry to be ever-more efficient, including carbon emissions, which are at their lowest levels per-capita since 1950. New Mexico is among the US states leading America's energy resurgence. A carbon tax would have devastating impacts on the New Mexico economy."–Paul J. Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation

"If Congress wants to prioritize the environment, carbon taxes are the worst possible solution. Rather than increase the cost of electricity and fuel — which means increasing the cost of everything we buy, eat, wear, and do — our elected officials should allow human ingenuity and innovation to continue improving the technology that has made the United States a world leader in environmental quality." – Hon. Jason Isaac, Senior Manager and Distinguished Fellow, Texas Public Policy Foundation