Republicans demand Biden's energy secretary retract 'unserious' comments praising China

FIRST ON FOX: Every Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee signed a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, demanding she immediately retract her recent comments "acclaiming China."

The letter — led by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan, R-S.C; and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson, R-Ohio — stated that Granholm's comments reflect an "unserious perspective" regarding the goals and intentions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"China poses one of the greatest economic, military, and geopolitical threats to the United States, while continuing to be one of the world’s worst polluters," the lawmakers wrote. "As the Secretary of Energy, your core responsibilities involve national security, particularly maintaining and certifying the reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent and protecting our most sensitive technological secrets from theft by our chief adversaries, Russia and China."

"Instead of acclaiming China and the CCP and amplifying its propaganda, let’s join together in exposing the dangers of our growing dependence upon China for energy, transportation, and technology systems," the letter continued. "Let’s join together to safeguard American technology from the CCP’s relentless efforts to steal and exploit our innovations for its military and economic agenda."

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm claimed Friday that the U.S. can learn from China's climate change policies. (Screenshot/SXSW Studio)

On Friday, during an interview at the annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, Granholm remarked that China is "very sensitive" about climate change and that the U.S. should "learn from what China is doing" on the issue. The energy secretary also lauded China for investing "a lot in their solutions to achieve their goals."

"The amount of money that they’re investing in clean energy is actually, you know, encouraging," she added.

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The comments sparked a series of rebukes from Republicans who argued Granholm was "delusional" and "outwardly siding with China against American energy producers." 

In their letter Monday, McMorris Rodgers and the other Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans noted that China has increasingly turned to coal-fired power generation and expressed concern about U.S. reliance on Chinese supply chains for green energy technologies.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., speaks during a news conference on Feb. 8, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"We are deeply concerned that the rush-to-green agenda of this administration, which you are leading to implement, is putting the United States on a perilous path in which the energy that powers our homes, businesses, and livelihoods will run straight through China with critical minerals supply chains," they wrote.

"Plus, this administration’s constant promotion of mandates and subsidies to electrify our transportation systems will result in American mobility controlled with components and materials from China. Meanwhile, the CCP continues to build and utilize coal-fired power plants at home and abroad to further spread its influence, while increasing its carbon emissions."

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The letter concluded, urging Granholm to accept their invitation to testify before the committee immediately. Granholm is also expected to testify about President Biden's budget proposal over the next few months.

In 2022, meanwhile, the Chinese government permitted a staggering 106 gigawatts of new coal power capacity in 2022, roughly quadrupling the amount permitted in 2021, according to a recent report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor.

China already accounts for about 27% of total global emissions, according to Rhodium Group. The nation's emissions output are equivalent to triple the total of the U.S., which is the world's second-largest emitter.

The Energy Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.