[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 1, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H1183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICA'S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Clyde) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight one of the most 
forceful and significant pieces of leverage on the world stage that 
President Biden surrendered on his first day in office: America's 
energy independence.
  Later today the President will brazenly attempt to rewrite history by 
hailing his so-called leadership amidst the horrific and heartbreaking 
war unfolding in Ukraine while ignoring the self-inflicted crises he 
has imposed on the American people. Yet no amount of spin, lies, or 
deflection can hide the damage that Biden has done to our great 
country--particularly through his failed, destructive, and reckless 
energy policies.
  On day one he killed the Keystone XL pipeline destroying 11,000 
American jobs and delivering a crushing blow to domestic energy 
production. Shortly after, President Biden infamously green-lit the 
Nord Stream 2 pipeline--handing Vladimir Putin a victory long before 
his Russian troops ever stepped foot into Ukraine.
  Throughout the first year of Biden's Presidency, the current 
administration embarrassingly begged OPEC to produce more oil while 
stalling and even halting oil and gas permits here in the United 
States.

  To further weaken our position on the world stage, President Biden 
withdrew U.S. support for beneficial energy projects around the world, 
increasing our dependence, as well as our allies' dependence, on 
foreign adversaries. President Biden removed U.S. support from the 
Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline that would have connected Israel's 
offshore gas reserves to Europe.
  In spite of lauding this project as a new opportunity and a 
geopolitical win-win back in 2014 when Biden was Vice President, now 
President Biden claims his priorities lie with moving away from fossil 
fuels in order to promote green energy and renewables. Some may believe 
President Biden simply had a change of heart, but this would be naive. 
Instead, he has dangerously appeased the far-left flank of his party by 
fully embracing Green New Deal garbage.
  Enough is enough, Madam Speaker. It is abundantly clear that energy 
independence is national security. And through every solitary energy 
policy, the Biden administration has chipped away at our ability to 
independently fuel our Nation, thereby damaging our national security.
  Due to President Trump's powerful efforts, the United States was 
recently energy independent just a year ago. Yet thanks to President 
Biden's utopian Green New Deal fantasies, we have lost our energy 
independence. So rather than strengthening domestic production by 
having every energy industry firing on all cylinders, we are left 
purchasing oil and gas from other countries, like Russia. Yes, Russia.
  In fact, the United States buys over 635,000 barrels of oil every day 
at over $103 per barrel. That is over $65 million every solitary day 
that we are sending to Russia filling Putin's war coffers in the 
process. I stand with patriots boycotting Russian vodka, pouring it out 
all over the streets, supporting the Ukrainian people.
  But why on Earth are we not boycotting Russian energy to put America 
first and really hit Russia where it hurts: in the pocketbook?
  Mr. President, we must immediately cease purchasing Russian oil and 
fully unleash domestic energy production.
  Ahead of his State of the Union Address tonight, I urge President 
Biden to rescind existing regulations and reverse harmful executive 
orders that undermine our energy independence. Restore oil and gas 
production by swiftly authorizing vital leases and permits, and 
abandoned radical climate rules and policies that obstruct our ability 
to have domestic energy production roaring at full throttle.
  Unfortunately, based on the President's most recent record, I fully 
expect him to double down on his disastrous energy agenda. Just this 
weekend, Press Secretary Jen Psaki comically claimed that we need to 
reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and we need to 
look at other ways of having energy in our country and others.
  As a military veteran, I can assure the White House that renewable 
resources are meaningless in fueling military equipment on the 
battlefield and winning a war.
  To no one's surprise, recent reports claim President Biden will tout 
his energy policies tonight and request this body to deliver 
legislation to achieve so-called clean energy that promotes climate 
action. What a disappointment.
  There is still time for the President to cease this capitulation to 
the far left, stop putting $65 million every day into Vladimir Putin's 
war chest, and put Americans first by fully empowering and unleashing 
domestic energy production.

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