US Lawmakers to Attend COP31 as Federal Climate Role Remains Limited

A US congressional delegation is expected to attend COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, even as the federal government remains outside the climate negotiations. Representative Sean Casten said the lawmakers could serve a diplomatic role and signal that climate cooperation still has support in the United States.

The delegation is being organized by the nonpartisan Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Institute, which says participants plan to meet policymakers, civil society groups and business leaders. Its stated aim is to explore renewed US engagement on climate, energy and economic policy. The SEEC Institute has not yet published a final list of participants.

Casten described the delegation as having 19 members. Its attendance is separate from the federal government’s role: the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement took effect on January 27, 2026, according to the UN climate agency. The COP31 schedule lists the summit in Antalya for November 9-20.

Congressional majority will take effect after the summit

Democrats won control of both chambers in the November 3 midterm elections, but the new Congress is not due to begin work until January 3, 2027. Casten said the delegation would not yet represent a congressional majority during COP31, while arguing that the election result could help open opportunities for future climate action.

He pointed to climate-related displacement, financial volatility and the need to decarbonize economies as shared challenges. Casten also cited tariffs that raise the cost of solar panels and electric vehicles, and higher gasoline prices linked to the Iran war, as inflationary pressures.

Casten said Republicans had previously supported some environmental measures, including emissions trading and ozone protection, and called himself “cautiously optimistic” about the possibility of bipartisan openings. The congressional visit and planned meetings, however, do not by themselves signal a change in federal policy or a return to official US participation in COP negotiations.