Congress: Investigate and Prosecute Climate Working Group Violations

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to investigate, subpoena Cabinet members and arrange to prosecute the unlawful actions surrounding the Trump administration's secretly formed Climate Working Group. Everything this regime does is lawless. Newly disclosed records totaling more than 68,000 pages reveal systematic violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and a coordinated effort to undermine public health protections. The CWG met in secret at least 18 times between April and August 2025, with DOE political appointees using personal email addresses and emphasizing the importance of silence. One official wrote, "I cannot stress enough the importance of our silence and restraint pending completion of this process." This deliberate secrecy violates federal transparency requirements designed to prevent exactly this type of covert policymaking. The group's explicit objective was to create "reasonable scientific doubt" about climate science to support repealing EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, which protects Americans from greenhouse gas pollution. The Trump EPA cited this secretly produced report 22 times in its repeal proposal. Internal DOE reviewers called the report "misleading," "inaccurate," and "factually incorrect," noting it cherry-picked data and cited blog posts rather than peer-reviewed science. Despite these criticisms, a political appointee recommended keeping edits minimal. The process was rushed and politicized from the start. The group had just weeks to complete work that was supposed to challenge decades of established climate science. Emails show direct coordination between Energy Secretary Wright and EPA Administrator Zeldin, with one noting "we have renewed buy-in that EPA will wait for this work and include it in its rulemaking." More than 85 scientists have rebutted the CWG report, and former EPA Administrators from both parties have called for withdrawal of the repeal proposal. Repealing the Endangerment Finding would mean thousands of avoidable premature deaths, more extreme weather events, and higher costs for families. I urge you to demand a full investigation and hearings with Zeldin and Wright to put them under oath about these violations and hold those responsible accountable. The integrity of our scientific and regulatory processes depends on it. Thank you.