Donald Trump has framed his sweeping rollback of federal climate policy as a decisive political victory over what he calls the Democratic Party’s “radical” environmental agenda — a message Republicans have deployed in previous election cycles and may lean on again ahead of November’s pivotal midterm contests.
Speaking at the White House, the US president announced he was revoking the 2009 “endangerment finding” introduced under Barack Obama. That landmark scientific determination concluded that greenhouse gas pollution endangers public health and welfare, forming the legal backbone of federal efforts to regulate emissions.
For nearly 17 years, the finding has underpinned US climate regulations targeting emissions from cars, power plants, and other major sources of planet-warming gases. By rescinding it, the administration is striking at the core legal authority that has supported multiple federal climate rules across Democratic administrations.
“This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam,” Trump said, invoking a phrase commonly used by Republicans to criticize Democratic climate initiatives often associated with the broader concept of a Green New Deal.
Political Framing Ahead of Midterms
The move represents one of the most consequential actions of Trump’s second term. It also highlights how climate policy remains deeply intertwined with electoral strategy. Republicans have long argued that stringent environmental regulations raise energy costs and burden businesses, while Democrats and climate scientists contend that such rules are essential to curb emissions and mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change.
By targeting the endangerment finding, Trump is not merely undoing a single regulation but challenging the scientific and legal premise behind years of federal climate governance. Supporters view it as restoring regulatory restraint and energy independence. Critics warn it could significantly weaken the federal government’s ability to address greenhouse gas emissions.
A Decade-Long Campaign
The rollback marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by Trump to dismantle climate policies established under Democratic leadership. During his first term, he withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement and rolled back numerous environmental rules. His second term appears to be extending that trajectory on a broader scale.
Legal challenges are expected, as environmental groups and several states are likely to argue that overturning the endangerment finding conflicts with established scientific consensus and prior Supreme Court interpretations of the Clean Air Act.
If upheld, the decision could reshape the federal government’s climate authority for years to come — and further deepen the partisan divide over how the United States addresses climate change.
