House Republicans Scrutinize Biden’s New ‘Climate Corps’

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, speaks during a hearing for an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden in Washington on Sept. 28, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are taking a hard look at the American Climate Corps (ACC), the Biden administration’s latest initiative to “tackle the climate crisis” by training young workers for green energy and conservation jobs.

President Joe Biden launched the program on Sept. 20 via executive action, directing several federal agencies to coordinate with AmeriCorps to formalize its creation.

The focus of the initiative, the administration noted, would be on “equity and environmental justice.”

But the new program’s validity is questionable, according to Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas).

“Unlike the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was implemented by President [Franklin] Roosevelt in response to an authorization in a law passed by Congress, the announcement of the program does not reference any legal authority giving rise to the program,” the congressmen wrote in an Oct. 13 letter (pdf) to AmeriCorps.

They added that the administration’s directive that AmeriCorps set up a new ACC “hub” brings into question the source and sum of the taxpayer dollars funding the initiative and the purposes they would be used for.

AmeriCorps, the Republicans noted, is the United States’ federal agency for national service and volunteerism. “This includes ‘providing people power and funding’ to eligible organizations, raising questions about identity and goals of the parties who may be applying to AmeriCorps for taxpayer funds to facilitate the ACC program.

In its September announcement, the White House also referenced a proposed rulemaking that, if finalized, could create a “streamlined pathway into federal service” for participants in service programs like the ACC.

Noting this, the lawmakers stressed that it was important for them to understand “exactly which jobs applicants would fill, how they would be selected, and for what purposes,” giving AmeriCorps until Oct. 27 to provide the requested documents and information.

The congressmen’s letter follows criticism from other Hill Republicans who said the president lacked the authority to create the ACC without the approval of Congress.

“I think it’s another example of how if you can’t get things done through legislation, he’s going to be very apt to do things through executive orders and rulings,” Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told The Epoch Times on Sept. 20.

“I’m a Republican that believes we need to be in the discussion on climate in general,” he noted. “Just not the craziness of what they propose and how they weaponize agencies to get their point of view across.”

President Biden first signaled the creation of a “Civilian Climate Corps Initiative” in an executive order he signed during his first week in office.

In that directive, he gave the secretary of the Department of the Interior 90 days to submit a strategy for creating such a program “within existing appropriations.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for the details of where those existing appropriations will be sourced from.

In the meantime, however, the administration has already begun accepting applicants for the program through the White House website.

The new initiative adds to 10 state-level Climate Corps programs launched by Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington.

Through the federal program, the Biden administration aims to train and pay a “diverse generation” of more than 20,000 young Americans for climate and eco-friendly careers.

Savannah Hulsey-Pointer and Jackson Richman contributed to this report.