GOP: Biden Bypasses Congress in Selection of Climate Envoy

President Joe Biden has been criticized by top Republicans for appointing John Podesta as the special climate envoy to replace John Kerry without seeking approval from Congress, according to a report by the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.

Podesta, a veteran Democratic strategist and White House adviser on green energy, is tasked with overseeing the implementation of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, a significant climate spending law.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., raised concerns in a letter to Biden, accusing him of bypassing the law by appointing Podesta without Senate confirmation.

McMorris Rodgers and Capito highlighted their alarm at this decision, stating that it undermines congressional oversight and violates federal law. They pointed out that Biden had previously approved a law requiring Senate confirmation for roles like Kerry’s special presidential envoy for climate but appeared to disregard this requirement with Podesta’s appointment.

The lawmakers expressed suspicion that the creation of Podesta’s new position was a deliberate attempt to avoid accountability to Congress and evade oversight efforts.