On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to “promote a healthy and productive relationship with the public.”
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who is one of the lawmakers who spearheaded the bill.
But it’s not clear whether Brady actually intends to push the bill through the House.
Brady said the resolution was meant to be a “positive step” toward the resolution’s goal of creating a “good-faith dialogue” with the White House, the White Chamber of Commerce and the Whitehouse Council on Environmental Quality.
“This is a good step forward,” Brady said.
“The White House and the Department of Energy are on the record saying we’re not going to take any action on this, but that’s not going on the floor.
We need to have a dialogue.”
On Thursday, Brady said he and other Republicans wanted to show the administration that “we’re serious.”
“This resolution was to send a clear message to the administration to not take any steps that will undermine our climate change work,” he said.
The resolution has yet to go to the House floor.
But on Thursday, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), the bill’s sponsor, said he expects it to pass.
“It was really a bipartisan effort,” Pascsell said.
The White House’s Office of Climate Change, he said, “has not been supportive of this resolution.”
The Whitehouse council has also been silent on the issue.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that the council had not been consulted about the resolution.
“We have no position on it,” Spicer said.
White house adviser Matt Stoller said on Twitter that the WhiteHouse had no comment.
The White Chamber, which is an official chamber of the president, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
But the chamber’s president, Thomas G. Hallett, has said the White house was not consulted on the resolution and that it did not reflect the views of the council.
“The president is the only one in the White HOUSE who has been a leader on climate and on this issue,” Hallellt told the Associated Press last week.
“It was an easy call.”
Hallett also tweeted that the bill “will help achieve a ‘good-spirited’ relationship with President Trump and with all of his Cabinet colleagues.”
Hassan Abbasi, director of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Center for Climate and Energy Policy, said the vote to pass the resolution shows “the House is united on climate change and is in support of working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect American jobs and the environment.”
“Climate change is not a partisan issue, and it is the health of our planet that is inextricably linked to the health and well-being of our citizens,” Abbasi said in a statement.
“Congress must act to protect the health, livelihoods, and safety of all Americans, and to protect American taxpayers from the costs of the climate crisis.”