A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States, States, cities, Tribal nations, businesses, institutions of higher education, and other institutions in the United States should work toward achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
SR 36 is a Senate resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should remain a party to the Paris Agreement and that federal, state, local, and private-sector actors should work toward meeting its climate goals. The resolution is largely declarative rather than regulatory: it does not create new programs, mandates, or penalties, but it states support for policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and for broad climate action across government, business, higher education, Tribal nations, and other institutions.
The resolution’s findings cite climate science, recent extreme-weather and disaster costs, clean energy growth, electric vehicle adoption, state climate policies, and federal climate investments such as the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It frames climate action as both an environmental and economic competitiveness issue, emphasizing jobs, investment, public health benefits, and the need for coordinated action to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
Because SR 36 is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution, it does not amend federal or state statutes or directly change legal obligations. Its practical impact is symbolic and political: it reaffirms support for the Paris Agreement, encourages continued alignment of federal, state, and local climate policies with emissions-reduction goals, and signals support for private-sector climate initiatives. It may be cited in future debates over climate policy, clean energy investment, emissions standards, and U.S. participation in international climate agreements.
The overall sentiment reflected in the text is strongly supportive of climate action and international cooperation on emissions reduction. The resolution is sponsored by a large group of Senate Democrats and presents climate mitigation, adaptation, and clean energy deployment as urgent and broadly beneficial. No committee debate or vote history is provided, so there is no recorded bipartisan opposition or amendment activity in the available materials.
The main point of contention is implicit rather than documented in the provided record: support for the Paris Agreement and aggressive climate policy has historically divided lawmakers along partisan lines, especially regarding federal regulation, energy policy, and the role of international agreements. The resolution also emphasizes the economic and public-health benefits of climate action, which suggests likely debate over costs, regulatory burdens, and the balance between federal action and state or private-sector leadership. However, no specific objections, amendments, or vote outcomes are included in the available context.