Illinois Review: Hughes Signs No Climate Tax Pledge

CHICAGO-The Illinois chapter of the free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP-IL) today applauded U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Hughes for signing the group’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.” By doing so, Hughes joins over 250 lawmakers and candidates on the federal, state and local levels pledging to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue.”

Hughes is running in the Republican primary against Rep. Mark Kirk (Ill.-10), who was one of only eight Republicans to vote for the Waxman-Markey energy bill. Waxman-Markey contained a cap-and-trade scheme that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has scored the plan as an $846 billion increase in federal revenue, a violation of AFP’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.”

“One of AFP-IL’s primary roles is to educate citizens on their elected officials’ positions on key issues. It is unfortunate that Rep. Kirk voted for cap-and-trade; we hope that he will see the error of his ways and sign our pledge,” said AFP-IL State Director Joe Calomino. “We encourage all of Illinois’ elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign.”