The Climate Solutions Caucus, which was founded by two South Florida congressmen, continued to expand this week with ten new members.
Last year, U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Ted Deutch, D-Fla., founded the caucus and still serve as the co-chairs. Since it was founded last February, the caucus has increased its membership, expanding twice earlier this year.
The Climate Solutions Caucus defines it mission as “to educate members on economically-viable options to reduce climate risk and to explore bipartisan policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate." On Thursday, five Republicans and five Democrats joined the expanding caucus. The new members include two of the senior Republicans in the House--Darrell Issa of California and Peter King of New York--and Democrats like Rodney Davis of Illinois. Currently, the caucus has 34 members, divided evenly between the two parties.
“The interest our caucus has gained in the first few months of this new Congress shows there is a growing, bipartisan coalition of members of Congress ready to find real solutions to climate change issues,” Curbelo said. “This caucus has such a diverse group of members and each brings unique perspectives to the table. We have a responsibility to our constituents and future generations to have productive discussions about market-based solutions, investments, and innovations that could mitigate the effects of climate change and make our nation more resilient. I’m thankful to these new members for joining our efforts, and I look forward to our work together.”
“Americans from across the political spectrum are demanding that Congress put politics aside to act on climate change,” said Deutch. “The remarkable growth and diversity of this Caucus sends a clear signal to the White House and the American people that Congressional Democrats and Republicans are ready to work together on paramount issues like climate change. I look forward to working with my caucus colleagues to explore bipartisan legislative initiatives to address the growing challenges of climate change.”
Other members of the caucus from Florida include Republican U.S. Reps. Brian Mast and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democrat U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.
