[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  REPUBLICAN DO-NOTHING CONGRESS REFUSES TO ADDRESS RISING GAS PRICES

  (Mr. NADLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, as of today, this House has been in session 
only 36 days this year. We are scheduled to meet a total of 93 days. 
That is 15 days less than the do-nothing Congress of 1948. How are we 
supposed to address the issues most important to all of our fellow 
countrymen if we are hardly ever in session?
  This weekend, millions of Americans will take Memorial Day vacations. 
They will be forced to pay hundreds of dollars more in travel bills, 
thanks to high prices at the pump.
  For weeks now, House Republicans have ignored this very serious 
economic issue. That is, until this week, when the House Republicans 
plan to offer their second solution. Their first solution a couple 
years ago was to throw billions of dollars at the oil companies. The 
second solution is drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  Despite the environment havoc this would cause, it will do nothing to 
lower gas prices today. When Republicans tout this as a solution, they 
ignore the fact that drilling in ANWR would not be possible for another 
decade and would provide only 6 months of oil, in any event, for the 
American consumer.
  Once again this week, the House Republicans plan to do nothing to 
address high prices at the pump. They simply refuse to offer any real 
solutions to our energy problems. It is time for a change in 
leadership.

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