WASHINGTON -- While U.S. representatives are in Bonn, Germany, this week for United Nations climate change meetings, President Donald Trump's advisers will meet Tuesday to discuss what to do about a global emissions-cutting deal, officials said.
Trump is trying to determine whether to withdraw from the so-called Paris agreement, which is backed by the majority of the international community.
Though Trump's inclination has been to leave the agreement, he's allowed Ivanka Trump, his daughter and White House adviser, to set up an extensive review process, a senior administration official said. The goal, the official said, is to ensure Donald Trump receives information from both government experts and the private sector before making a decision.
To that end, Ivanka Trump will hold a separate meeting Tuesday with Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, the official said. Pruitt is a chief proponent of leaving the deal and has questioned the science that says humans are contributing to global warming.
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The decision to participate in this week's U.N. climate talks shouldn't be construed as a sign that Donald Trump has decided to stay in the Paris pact, a State Department official added. To the contrary, the U.S. will be sending a "much smaller" delegation than it has in years past, the official said.
The officials requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly.
Under the Paris deal, brokered by former President Barack Obama and world leaders in 2015, nations agreed to nonbinding pledges to cap or reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
Trump, as a candidate, threatened to "cancel" the deal, but since taking office has said he's studying it.
A Section on 05/07/2017