[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE DEMOCRATS' ``MAGIC PLAN'' TO LOWER GAS PRICES HAS NOT WORKED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, this morning the price of a barrel of 
oil fell to $105 after hitting an all-time high of nearly $112 in the 
middle of March. Less than 2 years ago, the Democrats promised 
Americans that they had a magic plan for lowering gas prices, but since 
they have been in control of Congress, prices have simply gone higher 
and higher. But at the time, those prices were enough to alarm 
Americans when Republicans were in the majority.
  On the floor of the House and on the campaign trail in districts 
throughout the Nation, the Democrats seized on those anxieties and 
pointedly blamed the Republican White House and Congress for rising gas 
prices. Time and time again, they said they had a magic formula for 
lowering the cost.
  On April 16, 2006, the then-minority leader Nancy Pelosi said in a 
press release, ``The Republican rubber stamp Congress has passed two 
energy bills, costing taxpayers $12 billion for giveaways to big oil 
companies. But the Republican bills clearly have done nothing to lower 
gas prices, as the price of a barrel of oil has settled above $70 a 
barrel, the highest price in our history.'' The release went on to say, 
``Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices.''
  Then the next week another Pelosi release said, ``Democrats have a 
commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices . . . ''
  When in 2006 the House considered the energy bill to increase 
domestic production, the Democrats took to this floor in outrage. A 
Democrat congressman from California said on the floor about the 
Republican energy bill of 2006, ``It is no wonder their initials are G-
O-P: gas, oil, and petroleum . . . It is time House Republicans join us 
in providing some real relief to the American consumer.''
  That same day a Democratic Member from Connecticut said, ``When it 
comes to solving the energy crisis, President Bush and his Republican 
Congress have no credibility. If they had only spent the last 5 years 
working to reduce demand,'' like the Democrats have proposed, ``by 
raising fuel standards, rolling back the billions of dollars in tax 
breaks and royalty relief to the big oil companies, and if they were 
about promoting alternative fuels, as the Democrats have proposed, we 
might today be on the road to energy independence instead of bracing 
ourselves for $4 gas prices.
  Let me put this rhetoric into context, Mr. Speaker. When the 
Democrats took over both Houses of Congress in January of 2007, gas 
prices that month ranged from $50 to $60 a barrel for oil. But at the 
end of 2007, the Democrats' magic plan for lowering gas prices 
apparently hasn't worked out because today oil is closing at over $100 
a barrel.
  But wait, Mr. Speaker. It gets even crazier. A House Appropriations 
subcommittee this week will be looking at raising gas taxes 25 to 40 
cents a gallon.

                              {time}  2000

  Seems to me that that makes prices go up 25 to 40 cents a gallon. But 
what do I know? I've never professed to understand the Democrats' magic 
formula for lowering gas prices.
  On gas prices, as on earmarks, spending, and ethics, the Democrats 
ran as the Great Crusaders. But they've governed as the Great 
Pretenders. Democrats have proposed nothing that would do anything but 
raise gas prices at the pump. Just last month, the House Democrats 
passed another ``no-energy'' energy bill in the form of an $18 billion 
tax increase on American energy. This marks the fourth time the 
Democrats have held a vote to raise energy taxes. This sort of agenda 
will only slow the economy by discouraging domestic energy production 
and increasing our dependence on foreign nations for our energy.
  Our Nation needs energy production to keep our competitive edge in 
the global marketplace. We all want to achieve breakthroughs in 
alternative energies that will have a growing importance in the future. 
But we can't pretend that oil isn't by far the most important fuel in 
our economy. We have to increase domestic production. We need to give 
American companies incentive to produce, rather than demonizing them 
for providing a commodity that our livelihoods depend on.
  Let's put American ingenuity to work in the field. And let's put the 
Democrat's magic formula back on the shelf.

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