New York’s Rep. Elise Stefanik and Florida’s Rep. Carlos Curbelo both highlighted and defended their climate record and bipartisanship at recent events.
“I’m simply a reflection of what the free-market, small-government conservative party is going to look like in the future whether it’s called the Republican Party or something else,” Curbelo said recently. Likewise, Stefanik told The Post-Star editorial board: “I am proud that I am in the top 10 percent of most bipartisan members of Congress, and I have a record of reaching across the aisle. That’s something in today’s political climate. I think that shows my willingness to lead and be independent of my party.”
Curbelo crossed party lines to lead the opposition to an anti-carbon tax resolution championed by House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and also introduced the first Republican-sponsored carbon tax bill since 2009.
Stefanik has led the so-called “Republican resolution” on climate change, which in her words “forces Republicans on the record to acknowledge climate change is happening, is a problem, is science-based” as well as providing the defense of critical language in the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. She is “focused on trying to get Republicans up to speed on this issue” of climate change. “I think on the global scale the U.S. needs to lead on this instead of being at the bottom, being behind. I think that we should use our leadership to pressure countries like India and China to really step up and take this on.”
Curbelo is a co-founder of the House Climate Solutions Caucus and Stefanik has been a member since its inception.