July 4, 2026
Tell Schumer and Jeffries: Lead on Climate Now
A deadly heat wave is scorching Europe, with the World Health Organization reporting more than 1,300 excess deaths since June 21. In France and nearby nations, families are already living with the cost — and now millions of people here in the United States are facing dangerous heat too.
This is what the climate crisis looks like: not a far-off warning, but a public health emergency unfolding across borders and here at home.
But from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the message still has not been loud enough: this is climate change in action.
As a recent article in The New Republic argues, too many Democrats are still failing to say the obvious out loud — and this week is the time to break that silence. Climate change is making extreme heat more dangerous, and we deserve leaders who will tell the truth.
We have already asked Democrats — again and again — not to go quiet on climate change. But this moment makes the stakes impossible to ignore.
We cannot address a crisis our leaders refuse to say out loud.
This is not an abstract messaging debate. It is about people trapped in overheated apartments. It is about outdoor workers facing brutal conditions on the job. It is about seniors, children, people with disabilities, and families who cannot afford air conditioning being put in danger while fossil fuel pollution makes heat waves longer, hotter, and more deadly.
Donald Trump and his allies are attacking climate progress at every turn. They are defending polluters, rolling back safeguards, and trying to make clean energy harder to build. And because the current Congress is controlled by the president’s defenders, major federal climate action may not happen immediately.
But that is exactly why Democratic leaders cannot be silent now.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have powerful platforms. They can help define the stakes for the country right now. They can make clear that climate change is already costing lives, raising costs, straining the grid, threatening public health, and making extreme heat unlivable.
They can call out Trump’s climate rollbacks. They can refuse to let fossil fuel allies control the story. And they can help set the stage for serious climate action when the political window opens.
Going quiet does not make climate change disappear. It only makes it easier for polluters and climate deniers to keep winning.
Thank you for all that you do,
Mitch w/ Tipping Point
Source:
The New Republic | This Is the Week for Democrats to Start Saying “Climate Change” Again
