Tom Steyer Statement on Trump Revoking California’s Authority to Set Stricter Auto Emissions Rules

“In 2019, whether or not to respond to our climate crisis is not a relevant question for a responsible person. Donald Trump is not a responsible person. Anyone who cares about the health and safety of Americans knows we must respond. His attempts to strip California’s Air Resource Board of its legal authority is a dereliction of his duty as president and an act of incompetence. It is political pandering to his oil company paymasters that is shameless and shockingly short-sighted.

If American business really cares about its responsibilities to our country — and not just its bottom line — now is the time to stand up to a disastrous policy and a failed president. If they do not, their plans for ‘broader goals’ and ‘triple bottom lines’ are just empty promises.”

Read Tom’s Justice-Centered Climate Plan, where he lays out his strategy of declaring the climate crisis a national emergency on day one, and will use the powers of the presidency to put us on a course to eliminating asthma-causing toxic air pollution from new cars, pickups, and SUVs by 2030.

Paid for by Tom Steyer 2020.

About Tom:

Tom Steyer left his successful investing business seven years ago to give his own money and all his time and energy to fighting for progressive causes. He soon became one of the country’s leading forces in registering more young voters and voters of color, fighting climate change, working for racial justice, and helping secure better lives for all Americans. Tom has led a number of people-first, grassroots campaigns that have repeatedly defeated powerful special interests, beating big oil to win clean air laws, forcing big tobacco to pay its share of healthcare costs, and closing a billion-dollar corporate tax loophole to fund public schools.

Tom and his wife Kat Taylor were early signers of the Giving Pledge, a commitment to give the bulk of his fortune to good causes before they die. Tom’s dedication to doing what is right comes from his parents. His father was a lawyer who prosecuted Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials; his mother was a journalist and teacher who volunteered to teach prisoners in New York City jails. Tom says his parents showed him the power of having the courage to do the right thing. Their greatest lesson, he says, was that our actions speak louder than our words – what we do is more important than what we say.