President Joe Biden is set to name his former senior adviser, John Podesta, as the replacement for John Kerry as special climate envoy for the United States. The 75-year-old Podesta served as the White House chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, as counselor to former President Barack Obama, and chaired Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president in 2016. Earlier this month, John Kerry announced he was leaving the White House and transitioning to Biden’s re-election campaign.
Before being tapped by Biden to serve as the special climate envoy, Podesta oversaw White House policy on clean energy. Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act was among the major issues in the long-time progressive operative’s portfolio. The massive green agenda legislation was billed as an anti-inflation measure but has likely contributed to the increase in prices under the Biden government.
Podesta’s elevation likely signals that the Biden government intends to shift its focus away from international climate policy and instead escalate efforts to finalize new domestic rules before the November 2024 general election. Former President Donald Trump, shown to be either neck-in-neck or ahead of Biden in most general election polls, has pledged to undo much of the onerous environmental regulations enacted by the Democrat President.
On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly pointed to the failure of Biden’s electric car mandates and subsidies. Manufacturers and auto-worker unions have had a tepid response to Biden’s electric car agenda as consumer demand has fallen. Under Podesta’s guidance, the subsidies and mandates are unlikely to be reversed.
“We need to keep meeting the gravity of this moment, and there is no one better than John Podesta to make sure we do,” Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients said in a statement. Zients added that Podesta will continue to be “at the helm of driving the implementation of the most significant climate law in history.”
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