Witness claims high-ranking Democrat apologized following CO2 lesson from Sen. Kennedy
Witness Gus Schumacher, who testified on climate change on Capitol Hill, had a notable exchange with Sen. John Kennedy about carbon dioxide. Kennedy corrected Schumacher’s statement that CO2 is a “huge part” of the atmosphere, pointing out it’s a small fraction. This conversation gained attention during the Budget Committee hearing on “Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs.” Witness Gus Schumacher, testifying on climate change, engaged in a significant discussion with Sen. John Kennedy regarding carbon dioxide. Kennedy corrected Schumacher’s belief that CO2 is a major atmospheric component, emphasizing its minimal presence. This exchange sparked interest during the Budget Committee hearing on ”Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs.”
A witness who testified about climate change last week on Capitol Hill said a top Democrat issued an apology after he was grilled by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on the issue of carbon dioxide.
Gus Schumacher, an American cross-country skier who was invited by the Democrats, went viral over his exchange with Kennedy during a Budget Committee hearing on “Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs.”
Democrats want to spend $50 TRILLION to become carbon neutral & held a hearing to tell us why.
Dem witness: Carbon dioxide is “a huge part of our atmosphere.”
Me: “It’s actually a very small part of our atmosphere.” (0.035%)
Dem witness: “Well, okay. But, yeah. I don’t know.” pic.twitter.com/sSdbtsX7aq
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) March 21, 2024
One particular moment at the start that drew much attention was when Kennedy corrected Schumacher after he said carbon dioxide is a “huge part” of the Earth’s atmosphere after noting he was not a “professional” to discuss the topic.
“It’s actually a very small part of our atmosphere,” Kennedy replied.
Indeed, carbon dioxide makes up only about 0.04% of the atmosphere. Although it is naturally present there, it is also considered the planet’s primary greenhouse gas, emitted through human activities that are driving climate change.
As the discussion went on, Schumacher said he would like there to be a decrease in the use of fossil fuels that produce CO2 emissions, but he could not provide specifics on a timeline or how much money going carbon neutral would cost.
Schumacher later told DailyMail.com that Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) offered him an apology and was “pretty cheerful” afterward.
“He apologized for Sen. Kennedy and mentioned that it’s not the first time he’s done that aggressive line of questioning that’s not entirely related,” Schumacher said.
He added, “‘I don’t think anyone from my team was expecting that approach, he did a good job of making these questions really silly.”
Schumacher also said he was “a little bit flustered” after the line of questioning from Kennedy. “That spoke to my inability to answer questions on CO2, but I wasn’t too red in the face,” he said.
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Kennedy posted a video of his exchange with Schumacher to X.
“Democrats want to spend $50 TRILLION to become carbon neutral & held a hearing to tell us why,” he said before quoting the exchange about how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere.
In addition to questions about carbon dioxide, Kennedy pressed Schumacher about social media posts in 2020 about racism and the criminal justice system.
Schumacher pushed back, claiming the questions were “off topic” and that he was there as an athlete to discuss the effects of climate change on his sport.
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