Trump Administration Orders Withdrawal from Paris Agreement

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14162, entitled "Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,” stating the administration’s policy to “put the interests of the United States and the American people first in the development and negotiation of any international agreements with the potential to damage or stifle the American economy.” The Order claims, “the United States has purported to join international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect our country’s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives.”

To implement this policy, the President has ordered that the following steps be taken:

• The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately notify the United Nations of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and any similar commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of State, and Treasury Secretary shall immediately cease or revoke financial commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• The U.S. International Climate Finance Plan will be immediately rescinded and the Office of Management and Budget shall issue guidance to rescind frozen funds within 10 days.

The order also requires certain reporting from agency heads and directs heads of agencies that coordinate international energy agreements to “prioritize economic efficiency, the promotion of American prosperity, consumer choice, and fiscal restraint in all foreign engagements that concern energy policy.”