President Joe Biden’s administration is dedicating $1 billion to preserve the Ecuadorian Amazon as a means of addressing climate change, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Friday.
The president traveled to the Amazon Rainforest in mid-November to announce the United States’ pledge to increase U.S. international climate finance to over $11 billion a year by 2024, according to the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. While areas of the U.S. are still suffering from hurricane damages, the press secretary announced that the United States International Development Finance Corporation allocated the $1 billion to “support conservation” of the Amazon, just one month after the president’s trip.
“Earlier this week, as you all saw, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announced a $1 billion financial initiative to support conservation of the Ecuadorian Amazon,” Jean-Pierre said. “This is a result of the president’s recent trip to the Amazon and a continuation of the effort to support innovative ways to address climate change through sustainable growth and development without burdening countries facing financial constraints.”
Americans in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas have faced devastation as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in October. The press secretary said during an Oct. 7 briefing that the administration allocated over $200 million to people impacted in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene hit landfall, and argued the president awaited Congress’ approval to provide more financial relief.
After Hurricane Helene made landfall, the Biden administration announced its plan to send $157 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to support those “affected by conflict” in the region, without Congress being in session.
Following both of the hurricanes, the Biden administration approved more than $1.8 million in assistance for recovery efforts, according to a fact sheet released Oct. 16.
The president has not publicly addressed the threat of a government shutdown over the House’s failure to pass a continuing resolution, nor has he reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, though Jean-Pierre said that the president has spoken to Democratic congressional leaders about the legislation. Thirty-eight Republicans, including Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, voted against the legislation Thursday due to their opposition of increasing the debt ceiling without spending cuts and for allowing $110 billion in disaster relief.
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