GOP Hopes to Cut Climate Change Funding for DOD, CIA

Republicans hope to cut funding for climate change research programs at the Defense Department and the CIA, a plan that could strike a blow at President Barack Obama's second-term agenda plans to address global warming and to further control carbon emissions from the nation's power plants.

Both the DOD and CIA spend parts of their budgets studying the issue, while both are "two of the most important agencies in our national security apparatus," reports a section of the new budget, unveiled this week, that details ways to "eliminate redundancies and end the abuse or misuse of taxpayer dollars," reports The Daily Caller.

Two years ago, the White House reported there are 18 agencies funding programs on climate change, including spending some $22.2 billion on programs that include scientific research, renewable energy technology, and international assistance.

The planned cuts are following an investigation launched by Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva and other lawmakers, who claimed companies and organizations were paying scientists to be critical of the climate change "consensus."

But some scientists, in a letter from the American Meterological Society, called the probe a "witch hunt" for scientists who opposed the Obama administration's views, saying the investigation sent "a chilling message to all academic researchers."

Meanwhile, the military has identified climate change as a key priority, saying it is a national security threat, reports the National Journal. 

However, the calls are coming from many Republicans to cut climate change funding, including from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who called last week in a subcommittee hearing for less climate funding for NASA.

The space agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year reported 2014 was the hottest year on record since records began being kept in 1880.

In fact, the NOAA and NASA found that nine out of the 10 hottest years on record have been since 2000, with another of the top 10 hottest years occurring in 1998.

Cruz, like many Republican lawmakers, questions the issue of climate change, reports the Journal, disputing the 95 percent to 97 percent of scientists' reports that the change is real and is being caused by fuel emissions and other human factors.

The GOP budget also rejects a carbon tax, which has been supported by Democrats as key to cutting emissions while still raising revenues for the government.

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