OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Energy Independence and National Security Talks on Bloomberg
June 26, 2009

... HEADS UP -- TWO DEMOCRATS HAVE ENOUGH VOTES TO PASS A BILL REPUBLICANS SAY WILL PUT THE ECONOMY IN PERIL. >> HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME CLOSE BOATS. HE COULD FACE ANOTHER ONE TODAY. HE JOINS US FROM THE HILL TO TALK ABOUT THIS CLIMATE CHANGE BILL AND THE PROSPECTS FOR PASSAGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. DO YOU HAVE 218 VOTES FOR THIS BILL? >> I THINK WE WELL. WE WILL HAVE A MAJORITY OF THIS -- OF THE VOTES WHEN THIS BILL IS LATER TODAY. >> THERE IS SOME TALK IT MIGHT ROLL INTO TOMORROW. >> IT MAY ROLL INTO TOMORROW. I DO NOT KNOW THAT TO BE THE CASE. WE WILL TAKE UNDER CONSIDERATION. WE THINK THIS IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, HISTORIC DAY TO MOVE ON SOME VERY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES. ONE IS OUR NATIONAL SECURITY. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO BE HELD HOSTAGE TO THOSE FROM ABROAD WHO ARE SUPPLYING US WITH AN OVERWHELMING PERCENTAGE OF OUR ENERGY NEEDS. WE ALSO HAVE TO MEET THE GLOBAL WARMING CRISIS THAT CONFRONTS US FOR THESE TWO ISSUES ARE CRITICAL. THIS BILL IS A STEP, AN IMPORTANT STEP, TO MEET THESE TWO CHALLENGES. WE WANT TO MAKE OUR OWN ENERGY MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY. WE ALSO WANT TO BRING PRICES DOWN IN THE LONG RUN FOR ENERGY AND NOT BE HELD HOSTAGE TO THOSE OVERSEAS WHO WILL JACK UP PRICES, AS WE HAVE SEEN, OVER THE LAST YEAR. GASOLINE PRICES, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, WENT OVER $4. >> THE ARGUMENT FROM REPUBLICANS IS THAT THIS IS A JOB KILLER. THEY THINK THIS WILL PUT THE ECONOMY BACK INTO RECESSION. >> WE DO NOT THINK THAT IS THE CASE. THE REPUBLICANS SAID THEIR ECONOMIC PROBLEM IN 20003 WOULD SPUR JOBS AND HAVE A GREAT GROWTH IMPACT. THEIR POLICIES LED TO THE GRID AS RECESSION WE HAVE HAD, THE WORST RECESSION, THE DEEPEST RECESSION WE HAVE HAD SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THIS RESULTED FROM THEIR ECONOMIC POLICIES IN THE 1920'S. WE DO NOT THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD A GOOD TRACK RECORD. DEMOCRATS HAVE GROWN THE ECONOMY, GROUND JOBS. WE BELIEVE THIS WILL DO BOTH WE THINK IT WILL PROVIDE FOR OUR NATIONAL SECURITY AND OUR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AS WELL AS CONFRONTING THE CRISIS OF GLOBAL WARMING WHICH WILL UNDERMINE OUR ECONOMIC WELL-BEING AS TIME GOES BY. IT IS ALREADY DOING SO. WE SIMPLY DISAGREE WITH THE REPUBLICANS. WE BELIEVE THEIR ANALYSIS IN THE PAST HAS BEEN WRONG AND IS WRONG TODAY FOR >> HAVE YOU GIVEN AWAY TOO MUCH IN GETTING THE BILL TO THIS POINT? THE CREDITS UP AND GIVEN AWAY TO -- FOR FREE TO COMPANIES AS OPPOSED TO BEING SOLD OFF. >> SOME DEMOCRATS ARE NOT WILLING TO BACK THE BILL BUT SOME ARE. A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF BUSINESSES ALSO ARE SUPPORTING THIS. WHEN YOU ASK IF WE HAVE GIVEN AWAY TOO MUCH, I DO NOT THINK IT IS THE CASE. WE HAVE BROUGHT A BILL THAT IS A BALANCED BILL, THAT LOOKS TO ALL THE ENERGY SOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US, THAT LOOKS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND LOOKS FOR FOCUSING ON RENEWABLE ENERGY AND REALIZED ON THE PRE-MARKET, ON THE PRIVATE MARKET SYSTEM, TO INCENTIVIZE BECOMING MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT AND MORE ENERGY- FRIENDLY IN TERMS OF THE ENVIRONMENT. WE THINK THIS BILL, LIKE ANY PIECE OF LEGISLATION, IT IS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN COMPETING INTERESTS. WE THINK IT IS A VERY POSITIVE RESULTS. WE THINK THIS WILL BE A VERY POSITIVE STEP FORWARD TO CREATE JOBS, TO GROW THE ECONOMY, AND TO BE ENERGY-INDEPENDENT AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT. WE HOPE IT COULD ACCOMPLISH AS ALL THOSE OF THE OBJECTIVES. >> CHINA IS ONE OF THE STICKING TWICE. WELL COUNTRIES WHO DO NOT -- WILL COUNTRIES WHO DO NOT DO THE SAME HAVE REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ON THEM? >> THERE'S A MEETING COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER OF ALL THE NATIONS. AMERICA IS THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD. AMERICA NEEDS TO LEAD IN THIS RESPECT IF WE LEAD, WE WILL SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY CHINA AND INDIA. IF AMERICA BECOMES ENERGY EFFICIENT AND FRIENDLIER TO THE IN BURMA AND CHINA AND INDIA DO NOT, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO POSITIVELY AFFECT THE GLOBAL CLIMATE. IT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR US TO URGE CHINA AS LONG AS OTHER NATIONS TO COOPERATE. >> WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE. WE'RE BACK AFTER THIS BREAK. ...