In this study, we test the relation between congressional votes and public concern about climate change. Although a large number of constituents are concerned about climate change, few of those have a deep knowledge of climate policy, prioritize it as a political topic, or let their voting decisions depend on it. In addition, willingness-to-pay for climate policy is limited. In these conditions, we may not expect representatives to take public concern about climate change into account in their voting decisions. Still, even after controlling for the presence of interest groups, campaign finance and representatives' party affiliation, we find a consistent link between public opinion and voting behavior on cap-and-trade legislation in both the US Senate and the House. This finding provokes questions about the nature of public concern on climate change, and representation in Congress in general.