Elections

Global warming 'religion' costs too high: Ted Cruz

Global warming a religion, not science: Ted Cruz
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Global warming a religion, not science: Ted Cruz

The government regulations put in place to combat the "pseudoscientific theory" of man-made climate change drive up the cost of living for everyday Americans, GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz told CNBC on Friday.

"If you look at the world of global warming, it has become, in effect, a religion rather than a science," the Texas senator said in a "Squawk Box" interview.

Expressing skepticism about whether changes in climate threaten the planet, Cruz blasted what he suggested was the left's one-size-fits-all approach: "Whether it gets hotter or it gets colder, whether it gets wetter or drier, the climate is always changing. And the solution is identical … [for] cooling and warming. It's massive government control over the economy."

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The resulting regulations on businesses lead to higher gas and electric bills for consumers, said Cruz, chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness. "The effect of these massive regulations that are being pushed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are to drive up the cost of living."

Cruz believes the Environmental Protection Agency should have a role in keeping the air and water clean. "But we shouldn't be driving up costs on people who are struggling, who've been hurt so badly under the Obama-Clinton economy."

"Climate change is the perfect pseudoscientific theory for a power-hungry politician because it can never be disproven," he said.