Written by Dominic Yetman, Dailymail.Com
01:47 March 25, 2024, updated 01:52 March 25, 2024
- House Democrats present young skier as 'expert witness' as budget committee considers climate change's impact on recreation industry
- But Schumacher, 23, struggled in a series of excruciating exchanges, insisting that 0.04 per cent of CO2 in the atmosphere was a “big part”.
- He also refused to explain his calls for police abolition and claimed the drug war was designed to imprison black people.
Senate Democrats were left red-faced during a climate change hearing when their “expert witnesses” proved completely useless in the face of veteran Sen. John Kennedy.
White House Budget Chairman Sheldon asked Olympic skier Gus Schumacher for his input as the committee considers the effects of climate change on the recreational industry.
But it all went downhill for the 23-year-old as he struggled to answer basic questions, claimed the drug war was designed to incarcerate black people, and couldn't recall tweets calling for police abolition. It was a hill.
An excruciating exchange ensued, with Schumacher claiming that carbon dioxide “makes up most of the atmosphere,” while Kennedy pointed out that carbon dioxide makes up 0.04 percent.
'Well, that's fine. But yeah. “I don’t know,” the skier admitted.
Introduction to the hearing Senator Whitehouse praised the quality of the “very credible witnesses” the committee heard.
“We have heard warnings from economists, scientists, medical experts, executives at insurance and investment companies, and even the former Republican Senate Majority Leader. They are warning of the dangers ahead.”
But danger awaited Schumacher as he tried to evade Kennedy's interrogation, which began with a question about what carbon dioxide was.
“I was in high school, and carbon dioxide is a gas,” a skier told him
“I'm not an expert who talks that much about carbon dioxide.
But President Kennedy demanded clarification on the role of gas in climate change.
“Carbon dioxide, as I think of it, is a gas that exists in the atmosphere,” Schumacher explained.
“Is that a big part of our vibe?” Kennedy asked innocently.
“It's a big part of our atmosphere,” the skier claimed.
“That's just part of our atmosphere,” the senator noted.
'Well, that's fine. But yeah. I don't know. What exactly are you listening to? ' Schumacher replied.
“You said we need to reduce our carbon footprint,” Kennedy reminded him. “If you know what that is, I want to know first.”
Schumacher, who competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, claimed that during his nearly 10 years on the slopes he had seen “climate change dramatically change the conditions for winter sports”.
And Kennedy is eager to test his expertise on other issues he has considered, including a 2020 retweet claiming that “the war on drugs was intentionally provoked to mass incarcerate Black people.” was.
“Who intentionally created the 'war on drugs' to put black people in prison?” Kennedy demanded.
Schumacher said he did not remember the tweet, adding: “I'm here as an athlete to tell you what I've seen on my field.”
The senator then asked about a tweet calling for the police to be “abolished” and replaced with new services.
“Do you think we should abolish the police?” Kennedy asked. “Should we do it before we phase out fossil fuels or after?”
“I'm not going to mention that,” the skier replied.
Footage of the head-scratching exchange left viewers perplexed as to why he had been invited, with some suggesting he should stick to what he knows.
“I love playing in the snow and I love realizing there's not as much snow anymore,” one person tweeted.
“It's a shame that this person went to the Senate to talk about carbon dioxide and its impact on the environment and doesn't know anything about it,” added another.
“He thought it would be fun to go advise the Senate on important issues. That fun ended with Sen. John Kennedy,” a third wrote.
Schumacher deleted the X account cited by senators during Wednesday's hearing.
And while some compared him to Jeff Spicoli, the rugged surfer of Fast Times at Ridgemount High, the young Alaskan seemed unfazed by the assault at the hands of the Republican senator. “It was a great honor,” he said.
“I don't pretend to be an expert, but I am using my platform to elevate an issue!” he wrote on Facebook.
“I hope my testimony will influence public policy decisions.”
