Rep. Bob Good has introduced legislation aimed at blocking U.S. contributions to the United Nations Green Climate Fund.
The bill—No Taxpayer Funding for Green Climate Fund Act—would halt $1 billion promised to the fund by the Biden administration, and stop any future U.S. endowments. “Domestic energy production has helped make America great, but President Biden has consistently ceded our energy independence in the name of the radical green agenda here at home and at the United Nations,” Good said in a press release announcing the bill.
While Good claims that “[his] legislation will block Biden’s efforts to use American taxpayer dollars to push climate alarmism overseas,” the bill lacks any real momentum. Although Good’s bill will likely die in the House, it demonstrates his broader support of anti-climate policies and reactionary legislative agendas.
Despite the District 5 representative’s portrayal of the GCF and other climate protection efforts as “radical,” climate change is a pressing concern for a significant portion of the electorate. According to a 2021 Yale Climate Connection survey, a majority of respondents within Good’s own district indicated that they are concerned about global warming, and Congress should do more to address the issue.
Since coming into office, Good has consistently opposed key climate legislation. He voted against the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which “really [have] the opportunity to accelerate clean energy transitions” according to Community Climate Collaborative Executive Director Susan Kruse. While C3 focuses on more local climate efforts, Kruse says that federal legislation like the aforementioned bills “really [support] people on the ground directly.”
Beyond opposing international climate efforts, Good has also indicated his support for the continual use of fossil fuels in the U.S. In the same press release that announced his bill, Good said, “We should make every effort to enable drilling and unleash energy production in the U.S. by stewarding the vast resources of our great country.”
Since coming into office, the congressman has consistently introduced bills on an array of issues with no legislative future. Even in the Republican-controlled House, almost all of Good’s bills have not progressed past introduction (e.g. the Go Woke, Go Broke Act, Stop the Invasion Act, and Work Not Woke Act). The majority of his proposed legislation is oppositional in nature, and despite its failure, it provides him with an opportunity to publicly oppose Democratic efforts.
“Like a lot of things Bob Good does, it could … be posturing,” says J. Miles Coleman from the UVA Center for Politics. “I think of the speaker vote. … They really [did not] have a viable alternative to McCarthy, but there was Bob Good, basically until the last vote trying to push for someone else.”
Ultimately, the No Taxpayer Funding for Green Climate Fund Act will not stop U.S. contributions to the GCF. But, the bill does reveal a lot about Good’s political agenda and legislative track record.