Republicans split on attacking climate science

At a hearing Cruz chaired in December on climate science, he repeatedly railed against climate change “alarmists” and said the Earth has not warmed in 18 years.

But Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the only other Republican to speak, only asked questions about the cost of Obama’s climate policies.

Daines declined to directly attack Cruz, but said after the hearing that his constituents’ top problem with Obama’s policies are their impact on the economy.

“Montanans are most concerned about these regulations from the EPA and what effect it’s going to have on their pocketbooks and their everyday lives,” the freshman senator said. “That’s where the conversation’s going back home.”

It’s a line that has been taken repeatedly by other Republicans, and not just those who lean toward the center.

“What we in Congress ought to focus on is the economic impact of the president’s plan,” said Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.). “We know that his regulations on energy sources have cost the American consumer hard-earned dollars, and it’s costs the country jobs.”