Biden To Use Executive Powers To ‘Combat Climate Crisis’: ‘Since Congress Is Not Acting As It Should…This Is An Emergency’

Joe Biden announced he will use executive powers to combat a “climate emergency” on Wednesday during a speech in Somerset, Massachusetts.

“I come here today with a message,” Biden said as his speech began. “As president, I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger. And that’s what climate change is about. It is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger. The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake.”

“So my message today is this. Since Congress is not acting as it should, and these guys here are,” he continued, gesturing to Democrat lawmakers in attendance. “this is an emergency and I will, I will look at it that way. I said last week and I’ll say it again loud and clear. As president, I’ll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis in the absence of congressional action.”

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“We’re not getting many Republican votes,” he added. “This is an emergency, an emergency, and I will look at it that way.”

The effort to mitigate climate change requires a $2.3 billion investment from FEMA to help make communities more “resilient” during extreme heat waves, Biden explained during a speech at Brayton Point Power Station in Massachusetts, a former coal fired power plan, on Wednesday.

Biden stopped short of declaring a federal emergency, but pledged to continue to “use my executive power to combat climate crisis in the absence of congressional action.”