[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H5442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRUCKERS SUFFERING DUE TO GAS CRISIS

  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, America's truckers are a vital 
part of our economy. Truckers deliver the food we eat, the clothes we 
wear, and the materials we use to build our homes.
  Unfortunately, for the past several months truckers have been hit 
particularly hard by rising fuel prices. These outrageous fuel prices 
are threatening the livelihood of thousands of truckers across the 
United States. When truckers cannot afford to fill their tanks, they 
will be forced off the road. Without trucking, commerce in our Nation 
would grind to a halt. With gas prices continuing their steep rise this 
summer, an even greater number of truckers are being threatened.
  Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has admitted that the Clinton-Gore 
administration was ``caught napping'' when it comes to fuel prices. And 
now the American people are forced to foot the bill for the Clinton-
Gore failure. How unfair.

                          ____________________