House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the senior Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today harshly criticized congressional Democrats for voting to adjourn the House for an entire month without taking action to bring down high gasoline prices.

“With working families buckling under the pressure of nearly $4.00/gallon gasoline, it’s stunning that congressional Democrats would vote to give themselves a five week vacation without taking any action to bring down energy prices,” said McKeon. “Small businesses are being pushed into the red and schools are cutting teachers and programs because of high gas prices.  Yet the Democratic majority couldn’t find the time to vote on a single bill to increase domestic energy production before beating a path out of Washington for their summer break.”

Republicans voted unanimously against the Democrats’ adjournment resolution, arguing that Congress should vote on comprehensive energy reform before going home for the month of August.  Although Democrats have repeatedly blocked efforts to put America on the path to energy independence, Republicans are continuing to listen to the concerns of hardworking American families and using their stories to demand that Democrats take action.

Just this morning, McKeon and other House Republicans unveiled a new online survey designed to gather input from school officials, teachers, families, and communities about how the high price at the pump is impacting their preparations for the coming school year. The information gathered will be provided to both parties this fall to encourage decisive action by Congress to increase production of American energy to lower fuel costs.  The survey can be found on the Committee's website here.

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