[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICANS DESERVE BETTER

  (Mr. CASTEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CASTEN. Madam Speaker, I want you to imagine a world where the 
Republican Party praised the President of the United States for raising 
the price of oil by 24 percent. That sounds crazy, right?
  Well, that is exactly what happened 2 years ago this month when Trump 
threatened to remove U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia unless they cut oil 
production.
  Oil prices, of course, are not set by the President, but they are a 
function of global supply and demand. And when the President pressures 
another country to slash supply, the price at the pump and oil industry 
profits surge accordingly. That is exactly what happened in April of 
2020.
  The GOP praised Trump's approach. What's more, nearly 50 of my 
Republican House colleagues wrote a letter directly to the Saudi Crown 
Prince demanding that he cut crude output. They wanted higher oil 
company profits, so they forced a reduction in supply to make that 
happen.
  Fast forward to today. Those same Republicans who pressured Saudi to 
cut oil supply and increase prices 2 years ago are now berating 
President Biden for using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to boost 
supply, and blocking every effort to invest in energy efficiency and 
renewables that would cut our fossil fuel demand.

  Why would a party that fought to raise oil prices 2 years ago fight 
to raise them again? Because given a choice between your wallet and the 
fossil fuel industry, they will always take from you and subsidize 
them.
  Americans deserve better.

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