The GOP Pollution Trap, Part 2

Tuesday I talked about how House Republicans were considering defunding President Obama's EPA power plant carbon rules and risking a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections by doing it. Apparently Senate Republicans now think this is going to be a winning idea for them as well.

"I think there's going to be a lot of support on our side for trying to block that. And I hope with some Democrats too," Senate Republican Conference Chair John Thune (R-SD) told TPM. 

"The power of the purse is one power Congress has, and if you want to send a clear message to the administration about a series of regulations that you think are very detrimental, one way to do that would be through the appropriations process." 

Thune, the No. 3 GOP senator, said his party will support "anything we can do to prevent the administration from going forward with what are really poorly timed, very burdensome, very expensive ... regulations." 

Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said Republicans ought to consider reversing what he described as presidential overreach by Obama on environmental regulations. 

"I think Congress needs to give serious thought to utilizing its constitutional power -- the power to fund or not fund," he told TPM. Asked about using the appropriations bill to undo the EPA rules, he said, "That's one of the powers that Congress clearly has."

Oh please, please PLEASE shut down the government five weeks ahead of midterms.  Do it and then go on TV telling everyone how you shut down the government to save us from something that 70% of Americans support, including the majority of Republican voters.

Fully 70 percent say the federal government should require limits to greenhouse gases from existing power plants, the focus of a new rule announced Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency. An identical 70 percent supports requiring states to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions within their borders. 

Democrats and Republicans are in rare agreement on the issue. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans, 76 percent among independents and 79 percent of Democrats support state-level limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Strong tea party supporters are most resistant to limits on emissions by states and power plants; 50 percent say the federal government should impose caps, while 45 percent say they should not.

Do it, guys.  Pull the trigger after aiming the shutdown gun at your own foot again.  Please.