WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and six of their Republican colleagues in introducing the Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act to end American taxpayer handouts to China.

This legislation prohibits the United States from funding the Montreal Protocol, a United Nations treaty, until China is no longer treated as a developing country. Currently, China is defined as a developing nation under the Montreal Protocol. This allows China to abide by a different set of rules and access funding – including American taxpayer dollars – from the Protocol’s multilateral fund.

Background:

• Under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, developing countries are eligible for financial assistance through a special multilateral fund. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the fund, having provided almost $1 billion to date.

• China has received nearly $1.4 billion from this multilateral fund over the years due to their “developing country” status.

• China is given a decade longer than the United States to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Kigali Amendment. The U.S. is required to phase down production and consumption of HFCs by 85 percent by 2036, and China has until 2045 to reduce HFCs by 80 percent.

Sens. Johnson and Barrasso are joined on the legislation by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

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