Scalise: Biden Raiding Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Counter His Failed Energy Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria to discuss how Democrats’ far-left climate policies are raising energy costs and hurting the American people. Whip Scalise called out President Biden for traveling to Saudi Arabia to beg OPEC countries for more oil, only for them to announce that they would reduce oil production by two million barrels per day. Additionally, Whip Scalise slammed President Biden for raiding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an attempt to counter his administration’s self-created energy crisis. Whip Scalise also highlighted how House Republicans’ ‘Commitment to America’ would lower inflation, cut energy costs for American families, secure the border, and reduce crime.
Click here or on the image above to watch the interview.
Highlights from the interview:
On Saudi Arabia rejecting President Biden’s pleas for more oil production:
“Maria, this is like a childish temper tantrum that [President] Biden is having because he put Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC nations in a position to have more control over America’s economy. It makes absolutely no sense. I know you were talking about it on the last segment with Marc Short, and the bottom line is when [President] Biden decided he was going to declare war on American energy, it made us more vulnerable to countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, [and] Iran.
“By the way, Saudi Arabia right now is helping us stand up to Iran. [President] Biden won’t stand up enough to Iran. He’s helping them get a nuclear weapon. His foreign policy is a disaster. But it started with his failed domestic policy. His horrible anti-energy policy in America is not only costing us jobs, it’s the reason that energy costs have skyrocketed. And what’s the President’s answer? He’s raided our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. They’ve taken about a third – more than a third – of our strategic reserves to try to mask [President] Biden’s failed policies on energy.
“Open up American energy. I’ve got Port Fourchon in my district. If he called them right now, he doesn’t have to fly to Saudi Arabia – 11,000 miles on Air Force One with all of that carbon footprint – he could just call Port Fourchon and say, ‘Will you open up the spigots?’ [He could] talk to the energy companies in America and say, ‘Look, I will get out of your way and stop blocking pipelines.’ [President] Biden should stop blocking all of the things he’s done on permitting.
“So, let’s produce more American energy. It’s the cleanest in the world, for goodness sake, Maria. And yet he shuts down American energy and then begs foreign dictators to produce our energy and wonders why prices are so high.”
On President Biden coming up empty after his trip to Saudi Arabia:
“Yeah, a lot of good [President Biden did bumping fists with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman]. By the way, French President [Macron] told him before the trip that [Saudi Arabia wasn’t] going to increase production. And yet [President Biden] flew up there anyway, humiliating himself, instead of just recognizing American energy is the cleanest in the world.
“These guys love beating up on America. Then they try to lie to the American people because people get angry because they’re paying higher energy costs – over 60 percent higher. Why don’t we just open up American energy and support freedom [and] support Iranians who seek freedom? [President Biden] won’t do that either.”
On House Republicans’ plan to reverse Democrats’ self-made crises:
“We rolled out the ‘Commitment to America’ to show the country there is a better way. And we put bold conservative principles in place to say, ‘If you give us a Republican House majority, we’ll actually start pushing back on this far-left socialism we’re seeing from [President] Biden.’ The American voters are a lot smarter than [President] Biden gives them credit for, and they recognize really bad policy when they see it.
“So, first of all, stop the madness. [Stop] all these multi-trillion-dollar spending bills. That’s what’s driving up inflation. It’s the Biden-Pelosi agenda. So stop doing that. Start passing bills through the House that show the country how to produce energy in America to lower costs for families, how to deal with inflation, so you can lower costs for families, how to secure our border, and also how to help secure communities. Crime is out of control because Democrats like [President] Biden [and Speaker] Pelosi have embraced the ‘Defund the Police’ movement as well as this cashless bail. [It’s a] crazy idea that’s wrecking cities all across America.”