Missouri AG Eric Schmitt Makes Move, Challenges Biden’s Authority With Multi-State Lawsuit

Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt is challenging President Biden’s power with the lawsuit that involves 12 total states.

Schmitt is leading the lawsuit, which claims Biden does not have the authority to issue federal regulations through an executive order he signed in January.

Biden’s Day One Executive Order on climate action reconvened an interagency working group to establish interim and final social costs of three GHGs: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane.

Very recently, Schmitt said, they came up with the working number, which is in the trillions of dollars, reportedly $9.5T.

“This is a massive power grab,” Schmitt insisted in an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner.

Attorney General Schmitt joined @HARRISFAULKNER on the @FaulknerFocus this morning to talk about his suit against President Biden's admin – watch their conversation below –> #MOLeg pic.twitter.com/ukRZalaGyR

— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) March 9, 2021

The lawsuit says the order “will destroy jobs, stifle energy production, strangle America’s energy independence, suppress agriculture, deter innovation, and impoverish working families.”

“It undermines the sovereignty of the states and tears at the fabric of liberty,” the lawsuit adds.

Schmitt filed the lawsuit last Monday and said this order would impact the two largest industries in Missouri, manufacturing, and agriculture.

At the end of last month, Biden raised the social cost of carbon and restored the number to its Obama-era price-tag, which restored a climate policy tool that was slashed by former President Trump.

From Ozarks First:

“Not only is this bad policy because it’s going to affect jobs and our economy, but it’s also unconstitutional, it’s illegal,” Schmitt said in an interview Monday. “There’s no act of congress that authorizes the president to go do this.”

The lawsuit claims Biden does not have the authority to federally regulate “social costs of greenhouse gases.”

“We have the President of the Unites States with the stroke of a pen now essentially saying we’re going to inflict billions and trillions of dollars worth of damage to the economy and nobody said he could go do that,” Schmitt said.

Schmitt said this executive order will impact household costs.

“The cost of food, the cost of eggs, the cost of milk, the cost of a steak, all of that is up for grabs here,” Schmitt said. “Whether it’s transportation, making highways more expensive, whether it’s the EPA affecting agriculture, so it’s really broad. It’s perhaps the broadest expansion of federal regulations we’ve ever seen.”

Other states joining the lawsuit include Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arkansas. All 12 states have Republican attorneys general.

“We are going to add additional regulations because of this social cost of green house gases,” Schmitt said. “It’s a blank check for them to go out there and add additional regulations and cost to recoup that dollar amount from the economy.”

Schmitt said this cost will fall on Missourians and will hurt farmers.

“If your refrigerator goes out or you have to buy a new car or whatever it is, all of that is going to get more expensive,” Schmitt said. “OF those emissions you have in a farm, you can literally regulate farmers right out of business. It’s not just our farmers and our ranchers, St. Louis for example has a growing ag tech industry that is dependent on how we really get those really important commodities and foot to market.

Missouri’s AG said Biden has violated the law, by trying to use his authority for an executive order.

“There are no laws on the books anywhere that gives the president the authority to impact the economy in any way,” Schmitt said. “My hope is to push that back and the courts say look, there is no authority here Joe Biden in your administration to do this.”

Inside the Missouri Capitol, Senate President Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, filed legislation this session which would give the General Assembly power to possibly block any executive order from the president. If it passed, the Missouri attorney general would have to review the general action before asking to be excused from the order.

Senate Bill 571 has not been heard in committee yet.

During Schmitt’s interview our Missouri Chief Capitol Bureau Reporter Emily Manley asked him if he will run for retiring Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat in 2022. Blunt announced last week that he would not seek re-election.

“I’ve spent my time in public life fighting for lower taxes and less regulations and more opportunities for more Missourians and when you see right now in Washington D.C. all the levels of power tilted towards the left, Washington D.C. definitely needs more fighters but for me right now, I am going to continue to talk to my family, friends and supporters,” Schmitt said. “A lot of people have reached out and I’m humbled by that, but I’m definitely seriously considering the U.S. Senate.”