Washington, D.C. — Today, Gina McCarthy announced that she would be stepping down from her role as White House national climate adviser after serving for the past year and a half. The White House announced that her deputy, Ali Zaidi, has been nominated to replace her. In response, Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president for Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
Gina McCarthy was the climate leader we needed following President Joe Biden’s election. His victory was clinched in part thanks to his administration’s historically ambitious commitments for climate action and environmental justice. Gina’s expertise laid the foundation for the first-ever White House Climate Policy Office, and her vision and dedication paved the way for significant climate announcements early in President Biden’s first term. She also helped lay the groundwork for the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which puts the United States on a path to building a just, clean energy economy and creating millions of new good-paying jobs. She has created a model for—and embraced—a whole-of-government approach to climate action, ensuring that climate change is considered in every aspect of governance, ranging from transportation to security to economic opportunity. I’m grateful for her hard work at a time when our country, and the world, need it the most.
There is no one better to step into Gina’s role than Ali Zaidi. He was not only instrumental in building President Biden’s bold climate platform, but he understands better than anyone the dire stakes the country is facing on climate action right now. He will make sure the administration takes the strongest possible actions to deliver on President Biden’s climate commitments. I look forward to working with Ali in his new role.
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