Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty
The House on Thursday easily approved a non-binding but symbolically important resolution condemning a tax on carbon emissions.
Driving the news: Six Republicans opposed the measure, along with most Democrats. That’s a notable change from two years ago, when Republicans unanimously supported a nearly identical measure.
Between the lines: The small number of GOP crossovers shows there are still massive political hurdles facing the movement to get Republicans to change their stance on climate policy.
What’s next: A Republican lawmaker — Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida — intends to introduce legislation actually creating a tax on carbon emissions on Monday. Curbelo told Axios Thursday that he expects to have at least one fellow GOP co-sponsor.
Curbelo said in an interview right after the vote that he sees the six no votes from Republicans — along with another who opted to vote present — as success, a “small victory” that should be celebrated.
“We went from zero to seven. That’s how you measure progress in this institution. There were many more who thought about it long and hard,” said Curbelo, who helped create a bipartisan caucus that acknowledges climate change.
Rep. Fred Upton (R.-Mich.), who is a member of Curbelo’s caucus, told Axios going into the vote he was going to vote yes, though he paused before answering.
The big picture: The symbolic vote is an outlier in Washington as attention is largely focused on bigger and more impactful issues, like Russia, immigration and the farm bill.
Why it’s coming up now:
- It reflects the importance of the issue to lawmakers hailing from states producing fossil fuels, such as Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia, who are both sponsoring the measure.
- It also shows the influence of right-leaning groups, notably Americans for Tax Reform, which has been highlighting its opposition to a carbon tax in recent weeks.
- The vote comes a few weeks after a new advocacy group, funded by nuclear and renewable energy companies, formed to push Congress to support a carbon tax whose revenue is sent back to Americans in the form of a dividend check.
“I don’t judge any of my colleagues for their vote today, this is kind of a question in a vacuum. Had they had a time to review my proposal — timing didn’t work out — you would have gotten more no votes,” Curbelo said. “With a resolution that had consistently received unanimous support to the result today, it is not insignificant.”
This story has been updated to add comments from Curbelo.