OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

On CNBC's Squawk Box with Minority Leader Boehner
April 29, 2008

... >>> ALL RIGHT. THE FIRST ROUND OF REBATE CHECKS ARE IN THE MAIL THIS MORNING. THE LEADERS FROM BOTH AIDS OF THE AISLE IN THE HOUSE. WE'RE TALKING STIMULUS AND BEYOND WITH STENY HOYER HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER. WHO USUALLY STARTS? WHAT'S PROTOCOL? DOES IT MATTER AT THIS POINT? I GUESS DOES THE MAJORITY START? >> THE PERSON THAT USUALLY STARTS IS THE ONE THAT'S ASKED THE QUESTION FIRST. >> I'LL START WITH THE MAJORITY THEN, CONGRESSMAN HOYER. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT THE BOTTOM LINE IS GOING TO BE TO THE STIMULUS PACKAGE? IS THIS ENOUGH OR DO WE NEED ANOTHER ONE? >> AS JOHN AND I AND THE SPEAKER INDICATED LAST WEEK, WE BELIEVE THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. WE CAME TOGETHER IN A BIPARTISAN WAY. BY CAMERA WAY TO PASS A PACKAGE WE HOPE WILL, AS I SAID ON FRIDAY, IF WE'RE IN RECESSION, TAKES US OUT OF RECESSION. IF WE'RE FWHOT IN RECESSION, STOPS US FROM GOING IN. ABOUT 130 MILLION FAMILIES WILL BE RECEIVING THESE REBATE CHECKS. HOPEFULLY, THAT WILL HAVE A POSITIVE AND WE EXPECT POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY. >> CONGRESSMAN BOEHNER, I'M LOOKING AT NOTES HERE. THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT INCENDIARY FROM CONGRESSMAN HEIRER. HE TELLS ME THAT YOU REPUBLICANS DID VERY LITTLE TO WHILE IN OFFICE TO LIMIT WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH GAS PRICES, WHILE THE DEMOCRATSES WERE PASSING MAJOR LEGISLATION LAST YEAR TO INCREASE FUEL ECONOMY, THEY'RE TRYING TO GO TO THE FTC TO STOP THE MARKET MANIPULATION AND I READ IN YOUR NOTES IT, SOUNDS JUST THE OPPOSITE. >> LISTEN, WE PASSED AN ENERGY BILL TWO YEARS AGO. AND THE ONE THING WE COULDN'T DO WAS TO EXPAND PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. IF WE'RE GOING TO ACHIEVE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT GAS LINE PRICES WE NEED TO CONSERVE. WE NEED MORE BIOFUELS, ALTERNATIVE FUELS, NUCLEAR ENERGY AND WE NEED MORE PRODUCTION. TWO YEARS AGO AFTER THE LAST WEEK, SPEAKER PELOSI SAID WE HAVE A COMMON SENSE PLAN PO LOWER GAS PRICES. THAT WAS $1.26 A GALLON AGO. I'M WONDERING WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE COMMON SENSE PLAN TO REDUCE GAS PRICES. >> CONGRESSMAN, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT HE SAID IN THE NOTES. HE SAID THE ONLY THING THE DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE IS RAISE TAXES ON ENERGY COMPANIES AND GIVE A TAX BREAK TO HUGO CHAVEZ'S CITGO. >> THE LAST STATEMENT IS NOT WORTHY OF RESPONSE. THAT'S NOT ACCURATE. SECONDLY, HOWEVER, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT TAX BREAKS TO OIL COMPANIES. THAT'S WHAT THE REPUBLICANS SOLUTION IS TO GIVE TAX BREAKS TO PEOPLE MAKING THE HIGHEST PROFIT ON THEIR PRODUCT IN HISTORY. WHAT WE DID, ONE OF THE FIRST BILLS WE DID WAS TAKE $18 BILLION OF TAX BREAKS TO VERY WEALTHY COMPANIES MAKING EXTRAORDINARY PROFITS AND PUT THAT INTO RENEWABLE FUELS, TO ALTERNATIVE FUELS SO WE COULD BECOME ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. YOU KNOW, JOHN BOEHNER'S COMMENTS ARE INTERESTING AND WE WORK TOGETHER, BUT WE PASSED FOUR PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONE TO DEAL WITH THE OIL CARTELS, JOHN BOEHNER VOTED NO. ANOTHER TO DEAL WITH PRICE GOUGING, JOHN BOEHNER VOTED NO. ANOTHER TO TAKE REVENUES FROM OIL COMPANIES TO PUT IT IN ALTERNATIVE AND RENEWABLE OIL RESOURCES AND HE VOTED NO. THEN WE PASS LEGISLATION SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT WHICH SAID WE DON'T WANT MARKET MANIPULATION AND WANT TO GIVE THE FTC THE POWER TO MAKE SURE THE MARKET'S NOT BEING MANIPULATED TO THE DETRIMENT OF CONSUMERS. OIL PRICES WERE $1.46 IN JANUARY OF 2001 WHEN THE REPUBLICANS LED BY TWO OIL MEN TOOK OVER IN THE WHITE HOUSE. THEY'RE NOW $3.56. AND THE REPUBLICANS WERE IN CHARGE FOR SIX YEARS. THEY DIDN'T LOOK TO ALTERNATIVES OR RENEWABLES. THEY GAVE TAX BREAKS TO OIL COMPANIES AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, DRILLING IS UP BY 40%. IT'S NOT A QUESTION THAT DRILLING HASN'T INCREASED IN THE UNITED STATES. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THE OIL COMPANIES AND THE INTERNATIONAL CAR AT THES HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO JACK US AROUND. WE'VE TAKEN VARIOUS SUBSTANTIVE ACTION AND ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. IT'S A SHAME FOR SIX YEARS WE HAD A VACUUM WITH ONLY FOCUSED ON OIL COMPANIES WHICH HAS LED TO -- >> STENY, I'M LOOKING FOR THE COMMON SENSE PLAN. YOU ALL PROMISED A PLAN TWO YEARS AGO. WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND I'M LOOKING FOR IT. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR WHERE IS THIS COMMON SENSE PLAN THAT'S GOING TO LOWER PRICES. >> WHERE IS YOURS, JOHN. >> LISTEN, WAIVE BEEN TRYING TO INCREASE PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. >> WHAT YOU CAME UP WITH OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS WAS TO TRY TO DO SIMPLY INCREASE PRODUCTION. ...