By Peter Baker and Matt ZapotoskyCNN – The White House is taking a new look at climate change policy, after months of criticism from scientists and advocacy groups.
The White Senate will hold a conference call with top administration officials and members of Congress Thursday afternoon to review how the administration is responding to climate change, according to the White Senate press office.
The call will begin with a briefing by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, the White, Senate and House offices confirmed that the call is taking place.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday the administration was “evaluating the impact of our actions to combat climate change and what further actions may be needed.”
The meeting will also be led by Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Chief of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn, both of whom were previously in charge of the White house’s climate change efforts.
The two will be joined by Vice president Joe Biden, National Economic Adviser Gary Cohn and Vice President Mike Pence.
The Vice President and his chief of staff will participate in the call, Spicer said.
A senior administration official confirmed the meeting, but did not provide a timeline.
It is not known how long the call will last.
The president’s administration has made several moves to make it clear it is serious about tackling climate change.
The administration’s decision last week to abandon the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which had been negotiated under former President Barack Obama, was the biggest test for Trump’s commitment to combating climate change in his first term.
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the agreement as a “disaster” and blamed it for the collapse of the U.S. coal industry.
Trump also called climate change a “hoax” and said the Paris Accord would have been worse if he were president.
The White House has said it will make “significant” investments in infrastructure and the economy.
WhiteHouse.gov/climateTrump has also signaled he may not continue his push to withdraw from the accord, saying earlier this month he would rather negotiate the agreement with the United States.