A group of climate activists and their kids protested at White House chief of staff Ronald Klain’s Maryland home on Saturday to demand that President Biden declare an official climate emergency, which would dramatically expand his executive power to enact environmental regulation.
🚨BREAKING🚨: We just went to @WHCOS @RonaldKlain’s house in Chevy Chase to tell him the #climatecrisis is a 4 alarm 🔥 & asked him to deliver a card from our kids to @potus. The police REFUSED to deliver our card but we know Klain heard us. Declare a #ClimateEmergency NOW! pic.twitter.com/n2xMYBOQb3
— Climate Families NYC 🌅 (@sunrisekidsnyc) July 23, 2022
Multiple organizations were represented in the coalition including Sunrise Movement, which has advocated for the radical Green New Deal and the creation of green jobs, Families for a Future, which claims to fight against pollution, People vs. Fossil Fuels, 350 Brooklyn Families, which is a part of the NYC Climate Families Coalition, and New York Communities for Change.
The activists said they traveled from New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to demand that Klain pressure Biden to “stop delaying and act on climate.”
“Ron Klain chose to stay in his air conditioned house instead of coming to talk to us. Shame on him for ignoring families trying to make sure we survive on this,” the account tweeted.
Many of the protesters brought their kids, who dressed as firefighters to signify that the U.S. is in a “climate emergency.” They urged the cancellation of new fossil-fuel projects and increased investment in alternative renewable energy. They also proposed expanding the Supreme Court as a means to fast-track the Democrats’ environmental agenda.
“And for all the weirdos out there who have nothing better to do than troll kids and families fighting for our future, many of us supported Biden in 2020 Bc of his climate promises. Damn right we’re going to hold @POTUS @WHCOS accountable!,” the group wrote.
Last Wednesday, Biden called climate change an “emergency” and vowed to use executive powers to bypass Congress but stopped short of issuing a formal national climate emergency. He made the announcement after centrist Democratic Senator Joe Manchin confirmed his opposition to Biden’s sweeping legislative climate agenda, dooming it to fail in the chamber.
“Since Congress is not acting as it should, and these guys here are, but we’re not getting any Republican votes, this is an emergency,” Biden said. “As president I’ll use my executive powers to combat climate crisis in the absence of Congressional action.”