For comments made in the House Armed Services Committee hearing this week, Wyoming’s Congresswoman Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is this week’s climate jester.
In pre-vote debate on an amendment to require the Department of Defense to come up with a list of the top 10 military installations likely to be affected by climate change over the next 20 years, Cheney was the lone lawmaker to speak out against the measure. She expressed concern that asking the Pentagon to focus on the national security impacts of climate change is forcing them “to take their eye off the ball.”
“We have heard testimony in front of this committee consistently about the array of imminent threats we face There is simply no way that you can argue that climate change is one of those threats. Not even close,” she said. “There is no evidence that climate change causes war.” Defense Secretary James Mattis has affirmed his position that “the effects of a changing climatesuch as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among othersimpact our security situation.”
The amendment passed by voice vote despite her opposition.