Athletes Don't Hide It. Why Should Congressmen?

You know how corporate sponsors sometimes get their logos on athlete's jerseys or helmets? Wouldn't it be a good idea if America's "bought and paid for" Congress followed suit?

If you're working for Koch Industries or Exxon Mobile or Monsanto, why not have that sponsor's logo on your suit jacket? Truth in advertising. Get it out there.

What brings this up is a resolution the GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed last week condemning the very idea of an American carbon tax.


ExxonMobil officially supports a carbon tax, but the company did not comment on the House Resolution prior to the vote. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute, which is a key lobbying group of the oil industry, including ExxonMobil, publicly supported the anti-carbon tax resolution, as did Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) suspects that the Resolution itself originated from the oil industry:

And it’s not just a matter of lobbying by Big Oil and the Koch operation on how Republicans ought to vote; given their control over the Republican Party, it is very likely that the vote itself was brought up at their behest.

Since 2009, ExxonMobil has contributed at least $1.7 million to members of Congress who voted in favor of the resolution, according to an analysis by ClimateTruth.org.


There are some indications that GOP leadership pressured House Republicans to vote for the Resolution. They certainly succeeded: of the 8 Republicans who are members of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, whose purpose is to craft optimal climate change policies, 7 voted for the Resolution. Only Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) withstood the pressure, voting “Present.”