Scalise: Pass the Lower Energy Costs Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) at today’s leadership press conference to discuss how House Republicans are working to lower energy costs for struggling American families. Leader Scalise slammed the Biden Administration for its anti-American energy agenda and highlighted how H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, will lower costs for families by removing red tape hindering American energy production and restoring energy independence. Leader Scalise also called out President Biden for refusing to work with Republicans to address the looming debt crisis and pointed to how Republicans are working to get Washington’s spending under control.
Click here or on the image above to view Leader Scalise's remarks.
On President Biden’s failure to address the debt ceiling crisis:
“[I] first want to start by applauding Speaker McCarthy for taking a leadership role in engaging President Biden in debt ceiling negotiations. It's been about two months since [President] Biden has sat down with the Speaker. The President has said a few times in public that he's going to sit down with the Speaker again to continue those negotiations, but it appears that the President is just trying to run out the clock and trying to bring us to some kind of debt crisis by waiting and waiting and waiting until the midnight hour. That's not how we get this country back on track.
“And so, Speaker McCarthy laid out some very responsible savings that we can achieve to get spending under control in Washington, while also addressing the debt ceiling long before it's hit. So I hope the president actually starts doing his job and engaging in this debate again. It’s long past time.”
On President Biden’s anti-American energy agenda:
“Now, let's talk about an exciting week for families who are struggling. The good news is, when we ran to get the majority, we said we were going to go fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of all of President Biden's failed agenda. The inflation-driven failures that President Biden has imposed are hurting the lower and middle income families the hardest, and you see it especially with energy costs.
“And so this week, we're bringing H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, and it's focused on lowering energy costs for families that have been out of control and putting in sound, responsible policies that actually allow us to produce energy in America. You've seen the results of President Biden's attack on American energy. It's been severe. It started day one. The day that President Biden took the oath of office, he took very specific steps to attack American energy, and immediately you saw costs going up.
“Today, costs at the pump for gasoline are 40 percent higher than the day [President] Biden took office. People when they pay their household electricity bills, depending on where they live, pay 20 to 40 percent higher on their electricity costs. And of course, it's a major driver of inflation. When they go to the grocery store or anywhere else, the cost of everything is up because of [President] Biden's anti-American energy strategies.
“Now, I know that there are foreign countries that hate this bill. If you're an OPEC nation, if you're Russia, if you're China, you want to have the world market covered on critical minerals. We reverse that with the Lower Energy Costs Act by allowing us to make things in America again.
“And by the way, for those that are supporting, whether it's Saudi Arabia or Venezuela or Iran producing more oil, they're actually hurting the environment because nobody has better standards than the United States of America. I don't know why [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer or anybody else that's against this bill would want more energy made in countries that don't have the good standards we have in America.
“It's about time we start standing up for America. I'm sick and tired of these people who wake up every day, beating up America where nobody does it better than us. And by the way, when you are making things in America, it lowers the cost for families who are struggling under the weight of President Biden's failed agenda. So we're going to have a robust debate.
“This package includes, as you saw, our committees that are represented: the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Natural Resources Committee, and the Transportation Committee, have all been at work, not just for these last few months that we've been in the majority, but for years. We have about 20 different bills that are represented in this package that is the Lower Energy Costs Act, and a lot of work has gone into really good, smart policy to lower costs for families and help get our economy back on track.”