Progress Illinois

Republican U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, who represents Illinois' 19th congressional district, called into to the Don Wade and Roma show, and couldn't resist getting in a little jab at global warming. The reason? It was snowing in southern Illinois. "Global warming, watch out!" the congressman says. Listen to the clip here.

This morning's comments are the latest in Shimkus' denial of the reality of climate change. "The earth will end only when God declares its time to be over. Man will not destroy this earth. This earth will not be destroyed by a flood" he asserted at a House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing in 2009. In February 2010, Shimkus saw proof climate change was a hoax in the sight of people "ice-fishing on ponds in Southern Illinois." Never mind the difference between climate and weather.

Shimkus has a lot of company these days in Congress. Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is driving climate change, it's de riguer for Washington Republicans to reject any such link. Think Progress calculates that 128 out the 242 members of the House GOP caucus (or 53 percent) have publicly questioned the science behind climate change, while 35 out of 47 Republican members of the Senate have done so.

Remember when Rep. John Shimkus vowed last summer that the GOP would be the "party of no" until Election Day 2010?  Well, he's certainly doing his part. 

On June 29, he and fellow Illinois Republicans Peter Roskam and Don Manzullo signed on to a so-called "discharge petition" in support of legislation that would repeal the Democrats' landmark health care reform bill.  As we previously reported, Rep. Judy Biggert was the first member of Congress from this state to attach her name, following the lead of extreme-right-wing Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Steve King (R-IA).

Meanwhile, Lynn Sweet is reporting that Rep. Mark Kirk continues to "tiptoe" around the issue (after declaring that the bill should be repealed earlier this year).

Here is GOP Rep. John Shimkus on WJPF Radio this morning once again repeating the false claim that the Medicaid expansion included in the Democrats health care reform package will create $2 billion "in additional new costs" for the state of Illinois:

As we've noted repeatedly -- and as the Tribune's Judith Graham pointed out yesterday -- the federal government will pick up the full tab for the expansion in 2014, 2015, 2016.  In 2017, Illinois will have to cover 5 percent of the cost, followed by 6 percent in 2018 and 7 percent in 2019.  Assuming the state adds about 500,000 additional residents to the Medicaid rolls, this will amount to about $469 million in additional state spending over those six years.