Former Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who once served on the House Ways and Means Committee and was an advocate for a carbon tax, was invited to testify at that committee’s first climate change hearing later this week. Then he was uninvited for “reasons beyond the chairman’s control” by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
We all have a choice: we can work collaboratively to build consensus for #climate solutions or we can selfishly exploit the issue for personal gain. This article features many who are making the wrong choice.#climatechange #climateactionhttps://t.co/pQXmCL9Zze
Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) May 11, 2019
“It’s a shame because I thought for a couple days that Democrats might actually be interested in making bipartisan progress on climate policy,” Curbelo said. Members on both sides of the aisle expressed disappointment. From his former delegation mate:
This is a mistake & very disappointing. Addressing climate change requires bipartisan cooperation & solutions. @carloslcurbelo is a bold leader on this critical issue and deserves to be heard for his unique insight. I hope @WaysMeansCmte reconsiders its decision to disinvite him. https://t.co/TleITghpcd
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (@RepStephMurphy) May 10, 2019
“Republicans were looking forward to a bipartisan, solutions-based hearing for this growing national problem. With Chairman Neal rescinding his invitation of former Republican member, Carlos Curbelo, it’s clear progressive Democrats decided to make this a partisan political exercise instead,” a spokesman for the committee ranking member Rep. Kevin Brady said.
Since leaving Congress, Curbelo has been working with multiple pro-carbon tax groups . According to a Twitter post, he plans to publicly release his testimony.