Washington, D.C., November 12, 2014 – Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV) issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement of an agreement with China to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions:

“Last week, President Obama’s policies – chief among them excessive regulations – were soundly rejected by voters across the country. Yet this agreement with China shows that Obama didn’t learn a lesson from what happened last week.

“Entering into an agreement that he knows will never be ratified by the Senate shows that the President will continue to circumvent Congress and act alone by issuing regulations and directives that will cost jobs, increase electricity costs, and put our economy at risk.

“We’ve seen what happened in previous climate agreements like Kyoto, Copenhagen, and Doha – China doesn’t live up to its end of the bargain. This latest agreement offers specific carbon reductions for America to hit before 2025 and a vague agreement for China to slow down its carbon emissions after 2030 without a specific requirement to reduce them. This is a recipe for economic disaster that will make America less competitive and cost jobs.

“America plays by the rules and will have to live up to our end of the deal – causing hardship for American workers and consumers in the process. What’s to guarantee China will hold up their end of the bargain? China’s record on trade, currency manipulation, and cyber theft don’t exactly lead me to believe they will play by the rules. What are the repercussions if China does not fulfill its obligations?

“Agreeing to a one-sided deal that will cost American jobs is not good for our country. We should not put our economy at risk for the sake of the President’s ideology, which is not supported by Congress.”