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U.S. Rep. Amash talks Trump withdrawal from Paris climate change accord

Justin Amash U.S. House of Representatives photo
amash.house.gov

President Donald Trump says America's withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord, “Is less about the climate and more about other countries obtaining a financial advantage over the United States."

The President would later say the U.S. could try to re-enter the international climate agreement sealed in Paris if the deal were more favorable to Americans.

Last week prior to U.S. Representative Justin Amash’s town hall meeting held at Grand Rapids’ Ottawa Hills High School, WGVU spoke with the Cascade Township republican about the President’s decision.

“When you have something like this Paris agreement it should go through the Senate. It’s a treaty. It should be ratified by the Senate. So I don’t agree with President Obama who said he would just sign it and we’d be a party to it. I do think that it is responsible to bring it back to the Senate and have a debate about it and debate the future of our country and what we’re going to do with respect to the climate. So, I think the responsible thing for the Trump administration to do would be just bring it back to the Senate and have that debate so we can all have this discussion. ”

I asked U.S. Rep. Justin Amash for his climate change beliefs.

“I think humans do, and can impact the climate. The question then is to what extent and what do we do about it?”

Patrick joined WGVU Public Media in December, 2008 after eight years of investigative reporting at Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV8 and three years at WYTV News Channel 33 in Youngstown, Ohio. As News and Public Affairs Director, Patrick manages our daily radio news operation and public interest television programming. An award-winning reporter, Patrick has won multiple Michigan Associated Press Best Reporter/Anchor awards and is a three-time Academy of Television Arts & Sciences EMMY Award winner with 14 nominations.