Scalise Exposes Biden's Anti-American Energy Policies at Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) spoke at today's Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing about how President Biden's continued assault on American energy has caused the price of gasoline to soar to record levels. Whip Scalise called out President Biden and Congressional Democrats for attempting to shift the blame for skyrocketing gas prices onto Vladimir Putin and American energy producers despite the fact that it has been the Biden Administration's extreme climate agenda and inflationary policies that have caused energy prices to increase. Additionally, Whip Scalise asked the oil executives if the Biden Administration's burdensome regulations have made it harder for their companies to produce energy in America, and nearly all of them agreed that the Biden Administration has made it more difficult for U.S. producers to harness American energy.

Click here or on the image above to view Whip Scalise's remarks.

Read the full exchange below:

Whip Scalise:"Thank you, Madam Chair, for yielding and for holding this hearing. I have some questions for the witnesses. But first, before we talk about why we're here, I think it's important to go back and look how we got here.

"Americans are furious that gas prices are so high, but they also know that President Biden walked in [on] Day One with an agenda to kill American energy. And don't take my word for it. Let's go back to candidate Joe Biden. When Joe Biden was a candidate for President of the United States, he was very clear what he wanted to do to shut down American energy production as a candidate, and here you see him to the left, ironically, of Bernie Sanders.

"Joe Biden said, ‘No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill. Period. Ends.' That was Joe Biden, as a candidate. [He] said he wanted to kill American energy. And I wish it ended there. But that's just where it got started.

"He then went on and issued a barrage of mountains of red tape from every one of his federal agencies to make it harder to drill in America. Not in other countries, by the way, just in America. Look at all the agencies that President Biden used to go after American energy producers – the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, [the] Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Agriculture, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of State, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice, [and] the Department of Interior – all of these federal agencies, putting mountains of red tape on every American driller. Making it harder to drill in America.

"Look at a few of them. [Of] course we all know [about the] Keystone [pipeline on] Day One coming from the State Department. Killed the Keystone pipeline. He's not against all pipelines because he turned around and gave a gift to Vladimir Putin and green-lighted Nord Stream [2]. So, he made American energy less secure, but he said it's okay for Russia to produce oil and send it to Europe, making them addicted to Russian oil. Helping fuel, by the way, Putin's war against Ukraine.

"[Before the invasion], Putin was getting over $700 million a day selling his oil to America and to Europe because President Biden issued this assault on American energy. Now, go back to what Biden said, that he was going to do it, ‘No more drilling, including offshore.' So what happens when you kill American energy through all these Biden red-tape policies? The price goes up! Just look at it. It didn't start when Russia invaded Ukraine. The price was going up from Day One when [President] Biden took office because he carried out an assault on American energy.

"So if you want to solve the problem, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. How about you first get rid of this entire assault – from every federal agency I just mentioned – on producing oil in America. None of these rules and regulations, by the way, apply to Russian oil. None of them apply to Iranian oil. None of them apply to [Venezuelan oil.] But yet that's who President Biden is begging to produce more oil. Stop begging dictators to produce our energy and turn to America where, by the way, we [produce cleaner oil] than anywhere in the world. [If] you get energy from Russia, they have a much higher carbon footprint. I'd love to see the carbon footprint, maybe we can have a hearing on that, the carbon footprint of Joe Biden's anti American energy [policies.]

"The good news is there is help on the way. Republicans have filed more than 60 bills, by the way, to reverse this barrage and assault on American energy by President Biden. More than 60 bills. [Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member] Cathy McMorris Rodgers has a bill. There's bills to do all kinds of things to actually allow us to produce our resources, by the way, cleaner than anybody else in the world. That's where we should be going with this.

"But, I've got some questions for our witnesses, and I'll start with Mr. Lawler. My question is, does this whole mountain of red tape by President [Biden] make it harder for you to produce more energy in America? Yes or no, Mr. Lawler?"

David Lawler, Chairman and President of BP America, Inc.:"Well, in general, you know, regulations that are supportive of the industry are helpful. Regulations that help improve the energy transition are helpful."

Whip Scalise:"So, are these supportive? Are these [regulations] supportive of the industry? You've seen them. You know, these. You have to comply with them. It's one of the reasons you can't produce.

"And I've talked to people who produce in all parts of the country and they tell me it's these regulations that are stopping them. Mr. Wirth, with Chevron, do these regulations make it harder for you to produce energy in America?"

Michael Wirth, Chairman and CEO of the Chevron Corporation:"Yes, they do."

Whip Scalise:"[Mr.] Woods?"

Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil Corporation:"Yes they do, Congressman."

Whip Scalise:"Mr. Sheffield?"

Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Company:"Yes, they do, sir."

Whip Scalise:"Mr. Muncrief?"

Richard Muncrief, President and CEO of Devon Energy Corporation:"Yes, they do."

Whip Scalise:"Ms. Watkins?"

Gretchen Watkins, President of Shell USA, Inc.:"Congressman, certainly some regulations are unnecessary for our business, but as I say – "

Whip Scalise:"Do these?"

Gretchen Watkins:"We've got outstanding permits that would – if approved – would enable us to bring even more production – "

Whip Scalise:"Let's open up American energy. Let's stop the assault on American energy and lower gas prices. I yield back the balance of my time."