The spending package released Wednesday by Congressional leaders will allow the Obama administration to give $500 million to a climate fund to help poor nations battle climate change.
The bill doesn’t explicitly appropriate money to the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund, but it will likely be used that way since lawmakers didn’t explicitly block it.
According to Reuters:
The United States last year pledged $3 billion for the Green Climate Fund, to be used by poor and climate-vulnerable countries to adopt cleaner energy technologies and build their resistance against the impact of climate change.
Opponents of a U.N. climate deal threatened to block federal funds for climate aid, arguing that Congress first needs to scrutinize the Paris agreement before it releases funds.
But congressional negotiators on Tuesday wrapped up a sprawling deal to keep the U.S. government operating through next September, while setting new policies, including repealing a 40-year-old ban on oil exports in exchange for a multi-year extension of wind and solar tax credits.