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Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee argued Sunday that Democrats “hate the Democratic process itself” based on its reaction to the Supreme Court’s Environmental Protection Agency’s decision.
Lee made the comment on “Sunday Morning Futures” three days after the high court dealt a significant blow to the Biden administration’s climate change agenda, ruling Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ) cannot pass comprehensive regulations that could revise entire industries without additional Congress. approval.
Democrats and environmental groups quickly condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to curb federal regulatory powers related to climate issues.
The high court ruled that the EPA had limited powers to regulate emissions, adding that the agency exceeded its authority when it issued a plan to restrict power plants in 2015 during the Obama administration. Proponents of strict regulations, however, said the ruling would severely hamper the federal government’s efforts to prevent cataclysmic climate change.
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In reaction to the ruling, New York Progressive MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that the Supreme Court’s decision is “catastrophic.” In a tweet, the Democratic and climate justice advocate went to the Supreme Court.
“Catastrophic. A filibuster is not enough,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “We have to reform or eliminate everything, for the good of the planet.”
Deputy Ilhan Omar, a member of the Minnesota Democratic “Squadron,” added that the decision “flies against” the law and “basic morality.”
Senator Mike Lee reacts when the Supreme Court hits President Biden’s climate agenda. (Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“The decades-long struggle to protect citizens from corporate polluters is being wiped out by these extremist MAGA judges,” tweeted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN. “All the Republicans who helped seat these judges are complicit.”
“It is even more imperative that we soon pass meaningful legislation to combat the climate crisis,” Schumer continued.
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“That begs the question, why do they do it [Democrats] I hate democracy, ”Lee, who is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Sunday.
“Why do they hate to allow people to elect their own representatives to make laws? That’s really what we’re dealing with here.”
“All they say is that Congress has the power if it wants to do things like this to authorize them,” he continued.
“Congress has not done that. Congress has to do it if it wants the government to act that way.”
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Lee went on to ask, “What is so offensive to them about the idea of having laws enacted by legislators who are elected by the people?”
“It’s like they hate the democratic process itself,” he said.
Thomas Catenacci of Fox News contributed to this report.
Talia Kaplan is a journalist for FoxNews.com. Follow her on Twitter @taliakaplan