Republicans take action to defund John Kerry's climate office

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FIRST ON FOX: A group of more than two dozen House Republicans led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is introducing legislation Wednesday to defund climate envoy John Kerry's office at the State Department.

The No Taxpayer Funding for Climate Zealots Advancing Radical Schemes Act would prohibit any federal funds — including for salary, administrative, and travel expenses — from being appropriated for Kerry's office. In 2021, President Biden appointed Kerry to be the first-ever special presidential envoy for climate, a position that didn't require Senate approval, and gives him a spot on the president's cabinet and National Security Council.

"Climate czar John Kerry is the poster child for the Biden administration's anti-energy policies that are destroying both our economy and national security," Roy told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"Now John Kerry is visiting China — the top threat to our national security and the world's number one polluter — to further hamstring energy freedom," he continued. "It's time to defund anti-energy climate bureaucrats like John Kerry once and for all."

JOHN KERRY COMES UP EMPTY IN CHINA CLIMATE TALKS

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference with the House Freedom Caucus on March 10. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Since taking on the role, Kerry has traveled worldwide, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives.

Despite the high-level role leading the Biden administration's global climate strategy, Kerry's office has been tight-lipped about its internal operations and staff members, sparking criticism from Republicans who have demanded transparency from his office. Overall, the special presidential envoy for climate office has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget with approval for 45 personnel.

Last week, Kerry refused to identify individuals who worked in his office during a congressional hearing after Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., criticized him for his apparent secrecy. 

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"I have two deputies and they are well known, they're very experienced people, Rick Duke and Sue Biniaz … but I'm not going to go through all that," Kerry said. "I'm not going to fill them in here in this way, because that would be a violation of our process within the State Department."

"I'm not going to go through them by name because that is not the required process of the State Department," he added.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is greeted by top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi before a meeting Tuesday in Beijing, China. (Florence Lo-Pool/Getty Images)

Republicans have also criticized Kerry for his secretive negotiations with China, the world's largest polluter, on behalf of the United States. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., opened a probe earlier this year into Kerry over the negotiations and promised "intense scrutiny" of recent climate talks with Chinese officials.

On Wednesday, Kerry announced during a press conference in China that his trip to the nation yielded no formal agreement on tackling global warming.

TWO DOZEN REPUBLICANS CALL ON BIDEN TO DISAVOW JOHN KERRY'S REMARKS TARGETING FOOD PRODUCTION

GOP Reps. Mary Miller, Paul Gosar, Nancy Mace, Byron Donalds, Scott Perry, Randy Weber, Nathaniel Moran, Matt Rosendale, Andy Biggs, Jeff Duncan, Bob Good, Daniel Webster, Tom Tiffany, Lauren Boebert, Harriet Hageman, Andy Ogles, Nick Langworthy, Thomas Massie, Dan Crenshaw, Anna Paulina Luna, Aaron Bean, Bill Posey, William Timmons, Alex Mooney, and Dan Bishop signed on as co-sponsors on Roy's bill introduced Wednesday.