WASHINGTON – House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) issued the following statement today regarding the House vote on H.R. 1230 to require the Administration to stop delaying scheduled offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Virginia.
“Like so many other Americans, I hope that one day my children can drive cars powered by hydrogen energy or solar power, but that may be 20 or 30 years away. Dreaming is not a strategy for the future. In the mean time, Americans still have to drive to work, drive the kids to school, and maybe even drive an elderly parent to the doctor’s office. No matter the particular circumstances, one thing is for certain: families simply cannot afford to pay $4 or more for gas.
“Instead of implementing policies to lower gas costs, this Administration is delaying energy production and causing more job losses, more dependence on foreign oil, and more pain at the gas pump. Promising to help countries like Brazil drill for their oil while blocking offshore drilling in our own country will only outsource both our energy independence and our jobs. Taxing Americans based on how much they drive, as the Administration is now considering, will only serve to unfairly punish people for going about their daily business.
“By following the wrong path in pursuit of the wrong agenda, President Obama and Washington Democrats failed to stop gas prices from reaching record heights and are now stubbornly refusing to take the most obvious steps to lower gas prices by opening up energy sources right here at home. Republicans are committed to expanding production at home in order to make us energy independent, ensure affordable gas prices, and create more American jobs.”
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