White House Leaning Toward Exiting Paris Agreement By Next Week, Sources Say

President Donald Trump may pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change as early as next week, sources with knowledge of the plans told HuffPost on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump - he may pull the U.S.
out of the Paris Agreement as early at next week.

The historic agreement between 195 countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, reached in December 2015, is the first global climate accord to include the U.S. and China, the world’s top polluters. While Trump promised to withdraw from the agreement right after assuming office, that hasn’t yet transpired. What to do about the Paris Agreement has reportedly divided the administration, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka wanting to renegotiate the U.S. terms, while Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt and chief strategist Steve Bannon argue to pull out.

White House lawyers drafted a memo following a meeting last Thursday that argued that the administration could face legal blowback in U.S. courts if it moves to weaken the country’s emissions goals under the agreement. White House advisers convened lawyers from the Department of Justice, EPA and State Department on Monday to discuss the legal arguments. The president said over the weekend that he would make a decision on the agreement in the next two weeks.

Read the HuffPost story - “White House Leaning Toward Exiting Paris Agreement By Next Week, Sources Say.”