Paris Agreement
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner reportedly curbed President Trump's criticism of the Paris climate deal
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, apparently intervened to cut language critical of the Paris climate deal from a forthcoming executive order from President Trump, The Wall Street Journal reports:
Mr. Trump is expected to sign within days at least two executive orders that will begin the process of trying to dismantle former President Barack Obama's climate and environmental regulations. Mr. Kushner, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump, and Ms. Trump, the president's eldest daughter, intervened to strike language about the climate deal from an earlier draft of the executive order, according to [multiple people familiar with the move]. The executive order, which targets Mr. Obama's broad climate agenda, now includes no mention of the climate deal, which nearly 200 nations struck in Paris in 2015, in large part due to a strong push by Mr. Obama’s administration. [The Wall Street Journal]
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer sidestepped a question about if President Trump plans to withdraw from the monumental climate agreement that was signed in April of last year and lays out a cooperative approach to combating climate change and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Spicer referred reporters to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the topic; Tillerson has previously backed the Paris agreement, The Hill reports.
Ivanka Trump and Kushner, for their part, are increasingly seen as a moderating force against President Trump. Earlier this month it was reported that the pair worked to sink an executive order that would have limited protections of LGBTQ people.