DAVID BLACKMON: Trump Urged to Target Another Globalist Organization for Budget Cuts

By David Blackmon |

During his transition, President-elect Donald Trump has committed to withdrawing U.S. support from the World Health Organization and canceling obligations under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. A recent report from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, led by incoming Chairman Senator John Barrasso, indicates that Trump might consider cutting U.S. support for the International Energy Agency (IEA) as well.

According to the report, “French President Macron’s observation that IEA has become the ‘armed wing for implementing the Paris Agreement’ is regrettably true.” The agency faces significant energy security challenges globally, yet it currently functions as a partisan advocate rather than a neutral entity. Barrasso’s report emphasizes the need for the IEA to recommit to its original mission of providing objective analyses for policymakers and investors.

Established in 1974 amid the first Arab Oil Embargo, the IEA was designed to offer reliable information regarding global oil supply and demand. This information was crucial for member countries, including the United States, to craft effective energy policies. For decades, the agency was a trusted source of unbiased energy data.

However, political influences began to sway the IEA’s functions, particularly after the Paris Climate Agreement. There has been escalating pressure on the agency to shift from providing factual information to adopting a more activist approach concerning climate change policies.

The report highlights a significant transformation in 2020 when the IEA altered its mission statement and modeling processes. It moved away from its longstanding Current Policies Scenario—a data-driven “business as usual” model—in favor of a Stated Policies Scenario, which relies on unimplemented policies and optimistic assumptions regarding technological adoption, particularly electric vehicles.

This shift has introduced systemic bias into the IEA’s modeling processes and the associated policy recommendations. The ramifications were stark; for instance, in a May 2021 report, Executive Director Fatih Birol claimed there would be “no need for new investments in oil and gas fields.” However, this statement contradicted the realities of surging global demand, which forced Birol to later call for increased oil drilling alongside President Joe Biden.

Barrasso’s report underscores the reputational decline of the IEA, noting that its credibility has been severely damaged. He advocates for a return to unbiased analysis in the agency’s World Energy Outlook and calls for the abandonment of its current advocacy stance against traditional energy sources.

While Barrasso doesn’t explicitly recommend defunding the IEA, the report suggests that if the agency’s credibility continues to wane, more stringent measures may be necessary to reflect the diminished value of its information dissemination.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

David Blackmon is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation and has extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, specializing in public policy and communications.