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Scalise Urges Dems to Support Republican Bill That Would Protect the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Confront Biden’s Self-Created Energy Crisis

Washington, DC, December 14, 2021
Today, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) gave a speech on the House Floor slamming President Biden’s decision to release 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an attempt to counter his administration’s self-created energy crisis. Whip Scalise urged the House of Representatives to defeat the previous question which would allow a vote on his legislation that he introduced with Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Subcommittee on Energy Republican Leader Fred Upton (R-Mich.) that would protect the SPR by requiring the Secretaries of the Interior and Energy Departments to develop a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands if the President uses the SPR for non-emergency reasons.  
Click here or on the image above to view Whip Scalise’s remarks.
 
Whip Scalise’s remarks:   “I rise in support of the underlying legislation that we are trying to bring to the floor which, if we defeat the previous question, would actually come up to confront a major problem facing families.   “If you look over the last few weeks, this Congress has done a lot of things. It’s spent a lot of money. There was a bill just two weeks ago to raise over $4.5 trillion in taxes and new spending, which would fuel inflation even higher. What families across America are telling us is, ‘Why doesn’t Congress work for those families who are struggling? Why doesn’t Congress work to confront the challenges they are facing every single day?’ Seems like this majority’s tone-deaf to the real problems that are hurting families today. It’s inflation.   “It’s the spending in Washington that’s driving that inflation. And one of those leading indicators is the high price of gasoline because it’s something that maybe multiple times a week for families they have to go fill up their car, and they pay over $150 to do it. They can’t afford it.   “And, so, [House Republicans] have a bill to actually do something about that. Something we haven’t seen on this floor for weeks. A bill to actually confront a crisis that was created by this President, which, unfortunately, there are crises after crises that have been created by President Biden. One of those is an energy crisis —self-created by President Biden. When he walked in the door, prices were 40 percent to 60 percent less for gasoline. When you go to the grocery store, everything is more expensive. If you are shopping for Christmas things are more expensive, if you can even find those gifts that you want to put under the tree.   “And so here we bring a bill – if we are able to defeat this previous question – to confront one of these challenges. And that’s how this President has abused the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Because the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is not supposed to be a piggy bank to cover up for the failed policies of the Biden Administration, yet, that’s what they have done. When you saw the President raid SPR the other day, we actually had an increase in prices because people recognized this President isn’t serious about addressing the problem.   “This bill by Republican Leader McMorris Rodgers of [the] Energy and Commerce Committee as well as Fred Upton, myself, and others would force the [Departments] of Interior and Energy to confront this crisis.   “And by the way, when President Biden goes and begs OPEC and Russia to produce more oil, how about we start here at home where we actually [have] a surplus? We were exporting oil to our friends all around the world, helping our friends geopolitically. And that was undermined when President Biden cut off the Keystone pipeline, cut off production on federal lands, but he greenlighted the Russian pipeline. He begged OPEC to produce more oil, which by the way, emits more carbon if that’s what you are concerned about.   “Mr. Speaker, why don’t we focus on those things that will help American jobs, and help lower carbon emissions, [and] producing more American energy? And you know what else it does? It lowers the price of gasoline.   “I urge rejection of the previous question, and I yield back the balance of my time.”