[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 122 (Thursday, July 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                           HIGH ENERGY PRICES

  (Mr. SALI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SALI. Mr. Speaker, today the low-income families and other 
disadvantaged Americans are disproportionately affected by high energy 
prices.
  Just to be clear, this is about low income. It's about the poor. It's 
about veterans, seniors and children. We have reached a point where our 
poorer citizens are spending greater and greater percentages of their 
limited income on energy.
  With the average cost of fuel more than $4.05 per gallon, some now 
have to determine whether they can get to work or even buy food. This 
price tag and the fact that this body hasn't done anything about it are 
wreaking havoc on the daily lives of Idahoans and Americans across the 
Nation.
  Just last week I talked to a woman from Idaho whose husband is 
disabled and not eligible to receive disability benefits. She is the 
sole source of income for her family. She was worried about just being 
able to afford to get to work.
  It's time for partisanship to be put aside. It's time for Congress to 
act, and it's time to increase American production of crude oil and 
natural gas.

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