Chuck Schumer: “first, let me thank my good friend from Florida. His State may be more affected by climate change than just about any…”

“first, let me thank my good friend from Florida. His State may be more affected by climate change than just about any other. We hear about water lapping up on the shores of Southern Florida already and the constant flooding. We have seen these amazing pictures that equal 1,000 words about the coral reefs--and he even talked about a word we rarely use in Brooklyn, ``critters.'' We want to save the critters too. So he has been eloquent--not just today but constantly--on the issue of climate and does it in such a practical perspective that just about every American of every ideology, part of the country, and thought process can understand. So I thank him. Of course, I thank our great leader on this issue, the Senator from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse. He is passionate, and his passion carries over into effective action. There has been no voice more clarion, more constant, more effective in remembering that we cannot ignore this issue, constantly reminding us how important it is. I thank Senator Whitehouse not only for pulling us all together tonight but for his great strength and constancy on this issue. I join my colleagues to shed light on the subject of climate change, which has received scant attention, unfortunately, from President Trump and this Republican Senate. Despite decades of incontrovertible evidence that climate change is harming our planet, President Trump and the Republicans have done nothing about it.…”