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PENCE CREDITS GAS PRICE PROTEST BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS FOR UPCOMING VOTE ON DRILLING

"Bring your bill to the floor. Let us bring our bill to the floor. Make it an open debate," Pence said from the House floor

Washington, Sep 11, 2008 - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence gave the following speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today about the House Democrats’ energy plan:

“Almost six weeks ago, this House adjourned for a five-week paid vacation.

“A year and a half had passed and the Democrat Leadership remained, up to that moment, steadfast on one issue and on one issue only: there would never be a vote on the House floor that gave the American people more access to American oil through domestic drilling.

“But House Republicans refused to go quietly. We held this floor for five weeks demanding—in the wake of this 21st century energy crisis—Congress come together in a bipartisan way and develop a comprehensive energy bill that says ‘yes’ to conservation, ‘yes’ to alternative sources of energy, and ‘yes’ to more domestic drilling.

“And now, although we don’t have the language yet, there is word that there is a Democrat bill coming to the floor that includes more domestic drilling.

“I rise to commend my Republican colleagues who fought for the right of the American people to debate having access to their own resources, and I say to my Democrat colleagues: ‘Bring your bill to the floor. Let us bring our bill to the floor. Make it an open debate. Let us cast the votes and let us lay forward a blueprint for energy independence in the 21st century as a bipartisan accomplishment of this Congress.’”