BOSTON– Two days ago, President-elect Donald Trump made announcements on two cabinet positions vitally important for climate and energy policy, both domestically and internationally.
Please see Associate Research Director Tamar Lawrence-Samuel’s statement below:
“This morning, President-elect Donald Trump made his choices known for Secretary of State and Secretary of Energy and once again, the global community shuddered with horror. Each of these picks indicates further that Trump’s administration will be far more concerned with fossil fuel extraction and padding corporate America’s pockets than with people and the environment.
If approved, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson will run the Department of State like an extension of the corporation’s business development department. And, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Trump’s pick for Department of Energy, is not only alarmingly unqualified for a position so focused on nuclear weapons safety, he has advocated for the elimination of the department altogether (despite forgetting the department’s name). Both are selections based on the financial interests of the fossil fuel industry, and threaten the rights of people and the protection of our planet.
Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are shaping up to be a who’s who of climate denialists, Wall Street bankers, corporate CEOs, and oil barons. If approved, these choices would represent an unprecedented level of corporate control over our democracy. Congress must block these appointments in order to protect human rights, the environment and our democracy at large.”
