He may be best known for leading the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, but Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff is also working to bolster America's shift toward green energy and tells Newsweek his 2024 bid to represent California in the Senate will allow him to do just that.
Schiff's "priority number one," should he enter the upper chamber, will be abolishing the filibuster, a tool that Republicans have employed to thwart President Joe Biden's climate change agenda.
The filibuster is a procedural measure that prevents legislation from advancing unless it receives 60 votes as opposed to a simple majority. Only 50 votes are needed to do away with the measure, and Democrats aimed to do so in January 2022 to pass their voting rights bill. However, that attempt proved unsuccessful after moderate Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema declined to get behind the effort, supporting the filibuster for its role in forcing bipartisanship.
By electing more progressive Democrats like Schiff, the party would inch closer toward doing away with the measure. This would increase the likelihood of movement on liberal legislation like Schiff's recent policy, the Polluter Portfolio Disclosure Act, a bill that would require large insurance companies to disclose their investments in fossil fuels.
Schiff said his current work on that policy is about laying the groundwork for the future, a future where his standing as a pariah amongst the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement will not be going away. Throughout the interview, Schiff also discussed his standing amongst Republicans, how that standing has affected his ability to legislate, and his hopes for a greener future.
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Newsweek: You've been pulled in a lot of directions lately, facing censure for your role investigating Trump and working on policies aimed at promoting democracy. Why is the Polluter Portfolio Disclosure Act something that you've made a priority?
Schiff: Californians, like people in other states, are really struggling to get fire insurance. A number of the major insurers in California have stopped issuing new policies. Those that continue to issue policies, the rates are going through the roof. While the insurance companies are protesting that this is the cost of climate change, they're also investing in the same fossil fuel companies that are creating much of the problem to begin with. I think on a federal level, we should require these companies to disclose their investments, the money that they're investing and making in the same industries that are killing the planet and causing them to leave states like California or refuse to write new policies. This is something that the California Legislature has taken up also, but I think it should be a nationwide requirement.
Republicans have made it clear that they prioritize bolstering U.S. fossil fuel production. Do you think your bill has the ability to pass the GOP-controlled House? Is it about messaging? Or is it laying the groundwork for the future?
I think it is hopefully laying the groundwork in the future, although the pressure may become too great on Republicans, both because their constituents are suffering, just like mine, and they can only ignore climate for so long. I think that time has come and passed long before now. So, the pressure may become too intense. But what they've always responded to is the money from these fossil fuel companies, so it's uphill. I had introduced legislation also to put a windfall profit tax on oil companies and suspend the gas tax. You would think that they would support that because they've always wanted to suspend the gas tax, but they aren't willing to do it if it means that their patrons in the oil industry have to pay more.
Republicans have made you a clear target. Do you think that status has made it difficult for you to legislate and that your reputation will affect your ability to carry out work in the future?
No, I don't think so. Even for the worst of the fights I had, for example, with [former Representative] Devin Nunes in the Intelligence Committee, we still got our annual intelligence authorization legislation done, and we're still capable in Congress, the whole Congress, of doing things on a bipartisan basis. Privately, Republicans have apologized and acknowledged to me the absurdity of what they're doing, including the censure, so no, I don't view it as an impediment to getting things done.
If everything goes according to plan, you'll become a U.S. Senator. How do you expect to shift your strategy to get those 60 votes that are needed to pass legislation?
I think priority number one for me is going to be fighting to do away with the filibuster. I would rather have dramatic swings in policy between the parties than have the kind of gridlock we have today. My first priority will be to do away with it so we can pass voting rights. If we're successful in doing away with that, we can reestablish reproductive freedom, we can protect our democracy, and we can attack climate change even more vigorously, just as we did the last few years.
Why do you think that dramatic swings in policy would be better than the gridlock you described?
Because it will allow us to move aggressively forward. And if the Republicans try to take the country aggressively backward, they will be the shortest majority in history. And I am more than comfortable with that kind of accountability.
Clearly, green policies and efforts to reform the Senate are some of your top priorities. What other issues can America expect you to make a priority if you are elected to the Senate or remain in the House?
There are a number of priorities that I look to be able to get across the finish line. I've been carrying open space legislation to more than double the size of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area. We've gotten that legislation passed in the House, and we've just not been able to get the full distance in the Senate. So, that's also high on my priority list, the preservation of open space.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alex J. Rouhandeh serves as Newsweek's congressional correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Over his tenure with ... Read more
