Andrew Harnik / AP
That was fast. A few hours after White House press secretary Sean Spicer gave an ambiguous answer about whether the administration is considering a carbon tax, the White House took it off the table.
"The Trump Administration is not considering a carbon tax," an official said.
Why it matters: The statement puts a cork in the longshot idea that the White House would throw its weight behind a carbon tax plan.
Former Secretary of State and the Treasury James Baker and other backers had pushed the idea in a meeting with senior White House officials early last month.
- "Part of the [National Economic Council's] responsibility in coordinating economic policy for the President is to listen to a range of viewpoints on various issues," the White House official said in the statement ruling out a carbon tax.