Date: 2006-05-23
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

You know. what we always try to do here on the 30something time is to help. people understand that we are not just offering our own opinions. And I think it would be helpful to illuminate for folks and for the Members. Mr. Speaker. just exactly what has gone down here in this Chamber and the opportunities that the Republicans have literally just cast aside. Let us take a walk down the energy memory lane in the last several months. just since I have been here. Ninetyeight percent of House Republicans voted to let the oil companies keep their exorbitant profits. This was the week of April 28. The vote -was on April 27. excuse me. And what they did was. the House Republicans rejected a Democratic effort to accept Senate provisions in the tax bill that would have removed $5 billion worth of subsidies and tax loopholes for large oil companies. In other words. they would have removed the subsidies and tax loopholes worth $5 billion to oil companies. but House Republicans refused to do that. Ninetyeight percent of them voted to do that. Again. I dont think your rubber stamp is big enough. Mr. MEEK. Lets talk about price gouging. It is really interesting. Before I came here. I was at home for a little while and I was watching CNN and saw a Senate colleague. to stay within the House rules. commentingat a hearing on oil prices. This was a Senate Republican. and he was using very tough talk and grilling the oil companies that were before him. Essentially. the announcer. the commentator on CNN. was talking about how this particular individual had previously never been in favor of legislation and had voted against every opportunity to rein in the oil industry and to try to bring some. sanity to the direction that we are moving in terms of our energy policy. But literally I watched him say it. he said to the oil industry representative that the American people were getting a little bit cranky and tired of this. and that he was getting ready to do something serious. What. I dont know. but if we have reached the point where even someone who has never voted to regulate the oil and gas industry is considering doing that. then you know that the American people have reached their breaking point. Because in terms of price gouging. it has been a totally different story. The Republican leadership in either 57chamber has never supported adopting price gouging legislation. 0i 2345 In September. 2005. Democrats proposed legislation to establish a Federal ban. this was a Democratic proposal. a Federal ban on price gouging for oil. gasoline and other petroleum products during national emergencies. provide civil and criminal penalties for price .gouging. ban - market manipulation. and require greater transparency in oil and gasoline markets. This was supported by a majority in the Senate.-but it was blocked by Republicans in the House. And that vote took place on November 17. 2005. So there has never been an interest. In fact. there has been a specific interest in continuing to prop up the oil company profits. We have thirdparty validator after thirdparty validator that back this up. so this is not the DEBBIE. TIM and KENDRICK show where we are spewing our opinions. There are facts to back up the things we are saying. We are hopeful that the American people understand who is for true energy independence and moving this country in the right direction and who is just kidding.