[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                           HON. DOUG BEREUTER

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2000

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, on March 22, 2000, official business off 
of Capitol Hill caused me to unavoidably miss rollcall vote 65 (final 
passage on H.R. 3822, the Oil Price Reduction Act). Had I been present 
I would have voted ``aye.''
  Opponents of the legislation were circulating comments that I made as 
Vice-Chairman of the International Relations Committee during 
consideration of H.R. 3822. My statement, accurately reported by a 
prominent news service, was that by the Committee passage of this 
legislation, ``we're making ourselves feel good, but that's all it 
is.'' What the article did not include is the fact that my remarks also 
included the statement that the President already has all the authority 
to implement all the recommendations of this legislation, including the 
authority to exact sanctions on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting 
Countries (OPEC), if he chooses to do so. My statement was prefaced by 
my remarks that the Administration has been too slow in protesting and 
working to reverse or counter OPEC's production cutbacks which began 
last spring and which have let the prices spiral get out of hand. As I 
said, the Administration should have been pressuring OPEC countries 
five or six months ago to reduce prices. I concluded my remarks in 
Committee by stating that the American people are now stuck with higher 
prices for gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil for at least the next 
half year because ``the Administration was asleep at the switch'' and 
didn't take energetic and prudent actions. If there is any blame to be 
distributed at the Federal level, the American people should know it 
falls on the Administration.

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