WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama’s Republican foes in the House of Representatives said Wednesday they were disbanding the chamber’s committee on battling global warming, calling it a waste of money.

Democrats immediately assailed what they branded the “very disappointing” decision to dismantle the Select Committee on Global Warming, which did not have the power to approve legislation.

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“We have pledged to save taxpayers’ money by reducing waste and duplication in Congress,” said a spokesman for Republican House speaker-designate John Boehner, Michael Steel.

The committee “was a clear example, and it will not continue in the 112th Congress,” he told AFP by email.

A spokesman for outgoing Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, set to hand Boehner her gavel when a new US Congress convenes in January, said the panel had played an important role in the debate on climate change and energy.

“It is very disappointing that the House Republican leadership has decided not to prioritize addressing energy independence and climate change in the 112th Congress. Disbanding the select committee does not diminish the urgent need to act on these very critical issues,” said the spokesman, Drew Hammill.