Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The new Paris Climate Agreement is opening some real questions on the constitutional boundaries of the power of the President of the United States.
Obama has pledged to contribute up to $3 billion in U.S. spending on the Green Climate Fund, including $500 million in fiscal year 2016.
The Green Climate Fund is pool of money where developed countries, with contributions from public and private sources, help developing nations confront climate change.
The climate change agreement does not legally bind countries to contribute money to the climate fund, but it sets the goal for rich countries to contribute together at least $100 billion per year.
A new spending bill appropriating money for this fiscal year — which is expected to be voted on by lawmakers this week – does not assign money for the Green Climate Fund.
But Republicans were unable to attach a proposed policy provision that would have explicitly blocked Obama from sending federal money to the Green Climate Fund.
In addition, the $1.1 trillion spending bill does not prohibit the administration from transferring money from other accounts for the climate fund.
I am not an American, but I suggest that if the President of the United States has the power to send billions of dollars to foreign countries, and majority votes in the Congress and Senate are powerless to prevent this enormous diversion of taxpayer’s money, then the US Congress and Senate are as irrelevant to the process of the governance of the United States, as the toothless Roman Senate was under the Caesars.
In 1788, President George Washington refused to be king, and created a Presidential office which was limited by the US Constitution.
The climate “emergency” has created a pretext, a convenient crisis, which in my opinion has undermined the constitutional balance of power established by the Founding Fathers, perhaps irrevocably.
If the Senate and the House of Representatives cannot restore the balance of power which was established by the original US Constitution, then the United States, for better or worse, is no longer the Republic which the founding fathers created in 1788.
America hopefully only has another year of putting up with all the incompetent ‘Obamanorsens’!!!!
I am not American, but actually he does not stand again, and if Donald Trump gets the GOP nomination (GHUS!) you can be sure the Democrats get in again.
Bush Bunny!
Am I glad to see you! I have no idea what this thread is about — just clicked on your name in the recent posts list on right margin to come here to say: I hope all is well with you and yours. There was a terrible wildfire situation in what I thought might be your neck of the woods down there awhile back. Then, I didn’t see you ……….. until this evening (er this afternoon …. tomorrow, smile).
Take care — you are a WUWT gem!
Your American Ally for Science Truth,
Janice
Hi Janice I haven’t posted much, mainly because I agree with others on various posts, and frustrated with the present PM who is reversing the coalitions action which was done by the PM that was ruthlessly booted out. But you have a good holiday season, and pray that the next President of the US of A is a realist and not too keen to promote giving away your hard earned money to corrupt third world countries.
Thank you, Bush Bunny. Whew — glad to hear that (I assume) you were not harmed by that incident. I HIGHLY ADMIRE your self-control (to not write superfluous comments)! Oh, boy, I need to imitate your discretion. Yes, indeed, re: U.S. presidential election (and so sorry about the PM disaster in Australia!), I will vote for the Republican for sure — it is ANYBODY but the Democrat (given their economy-wrecking policies).
Take care.
Headline: “Does the President have Unconstrained Power to Send Billions to the UN for Climate?”
Sure he has that power, when the dumba*ses in Congress fund EVERY DAMN THING HE WANTS!
MEET THE NEW GOPee, SAME AS THE OLD GOPee only with Paul Boehner Jr in charge of the train wreck that is coming!!
Get mad bro.
You got sold out.