[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1314-H1321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DENOUNCING THE HARMFUL, ANTI-AMERICAN ENERGY POLICIES OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up
the resolution (H. Res. 987) denouncing the harmful, anti-American
energy policies of the Biden administration, and for other purposes,
and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1085, the
resolution is considered read.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 987
Whereas President Joe Biden and his administration have
proposed and finalized regulations that increase the cost of
energy for domestic consumers, hamper domestic production of
energy, and increase reliance on foreign adversaries for
energy needs;
Whereas then-candidate Joe Biden is quoted as saying, ``I
will end fossil fuels.'';
Whereas decreasing domestic production of fossil fuels does
not prevent the fuels from being produced globally, but
instead increases the United States reliance on other
countries for its energy needs;
Whereas the United States is reliant on China and other
foreign adversaries for many of the minerals necessary for
renewable energy development;
Whereas the Biden administration has blocked domestic
mineral development despite the massive increase in demand
for these minerals;
Whereas the United States became the global leader in
liquified natural gas exports for the first time in 2023;
Whereas, on January 26, 2024, the Biden administration
announced guidance that would prohibit liquified natural gas
exports and permitting for export facilities under section 3
of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b);
Whereas, under President Biden, gasoline prices reached a
record-breaking high in 2022, with prices soaring to a
nationwide average of over $4 a gallon and nearly $5 for
diesel;
Whereas gas prices have increased due to President Biden's
policies, affecting families and small businesses who
struggle to make ends meet;
Whereas, in May 2023, it was calculated that nearly
20,000,000 households in the United States were behind on
their utility bills because of rising energy prices;
Whereas energy prices increased roughly 37.2 percent in
President Biden's first 26 months in office, which is the
largest increase of any of the last 7 Presidents;
Whereas President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline
on his first day in office, preventing over 11,000 jobs,
hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day, and millions
in revenue;
Whereas the Biden administration illegally canceled leases
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, even though the
leases were mandated under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act;
Whereas the Biden administration added extraction
restrictions to 13,000,000 acres of the National Petroleum
Reserve-Alaska;
Whereas the Biden administration canceled 3 proposed lease
sales in the Gulf of Mexico;
Whereas President Trump held 9 offshore lease sales and
President Obama held 20;
Whereas the Biden administration has proposed numerous
antifossil fuel policies that restrict Federal land
development causing companies to cease investment in
research, development, and exploration;
Whereas the Biden administration implemented a 20-year
mining moratorium on 225,000 acres of the Superior National
Forest in northern Minnesota;
Whereas the Biden administration continues to restrict
mineral extraction in areas including Chaco Canyon, Black
Hills National Forest, and the Thompson Divide;
Whereas, in 2022, more than one-third of Americans say they
reduced or skipped basic expenses, such as medicine or food,
to pay an energy bill;
Whereas President Biden issued Executive Order 14008 on his
first day in office, which halted all new oil and natural gas
leasing on Federal lands, violating the Mineral Leasing Act,
which requires the Department of the Interior to hold
quarterly lease sales;
Whereas the Biden administration did not hold an onshore
lease sale until June 2022, and the first sale excluded
nearly 80 percent of eligible lands while instituting a 50-
percent royalty increase;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2022, the first full fiscal year of
the Biden administration, the Bureau of Land Management
approved an average of 233 drilling permits per month;
Whereas, in contrast, the Bureau of Land Management was
approving nearly 400 drilling permits monthly in fiscal year
2020;
Whereas the Biden administration has held only 18 lease
sales over 36 months in office;
Whereas the Biden administration has leased roughly 232,000
acres bringing in roughly $180,000,000 in Federal funding,
approximately one-tenth of the acreage and revenue secured by
the Trump administration;
Whereas, over the same time period, the Trump
administration had held 82 lease sales, leasing 3,700,000
acres and bringing in over $1,700,000,000 for taxpayers.
Whereas the Bureau of Land Management proposed a rule
titled ``Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties,
and Resource Conservation'' (87 Fed. Reg. 73588) which aims
to further regulate natural gas emissions from oil and
natural gas production on Federal lands;
Whereas the Bureau of Land Management issued Instructional
Memoranda that restrict the rights of existing leaseholders,
ignore statutory mandates, and will limit acreage in future
sales;
Whereas the Biden administration proposed the rule titled
``Conservation and Landscape Health'' (88 Fed. Reg. 19583)
that would illegally elevate conservation as a multiple use
under the Federal Land Management Policy Act of 1976;
Whereas the Biden administration has proposed a rule titled
``Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process'' (88. Fed. Reg.
47562) that would establish preference criteria to limit oil
and gas leasing on Federal lands, while increasing royalty
and bonding rates for oil and gas producers on Federal lands;
and
Whereas the Biden administration proposed numerous
supplemental environmental impact statements for resource
management plans across Western States that would lock up
millions of acres of Federal lands from resource development:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) denounces the harmful anti-American energy policies of
the Biden administration;
(2) denounces the irrational and unpredictable Federal
lands policies of the Biden administration;
(3) condemns the energy crisis plaguing families,
businesses, and Americans around the country that has been
caused by the Biden administration; and
(4) encourages the domestic production of reliable and
affordable energy generation sources.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution shall be debatable for 1 hour
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the
Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).
General Leave
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H. Res. 987.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from South Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 987 to denounce the harmful
anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration, led by
Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse.
From day one, the Biden administration has waged war on American
energy. Their actions and policies have jeopardized our grid security,
caused America to become more dependent on foreign adversaries like
Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, and others, and increased energy costs
for everyday Americans.
Energy is foundational to everything in American life. American
energy
[[Page H1315]]
powers our country, employs our workers, and drives our economy.
When the cost of energy goes up, so does everything else. Since
President Biden took office, the administration has taken over 170
regulatory actions to make it harder to produce and deliver American
energy.
President Biden and House Democrats are doing everything in their
power to regulate American energy workers out of existence, and they
don't care how it negatively impacts communities in South Carolina or
any other State around the country. They are putting the needs of the
radical climate lobby over hardworking Americans.
Americans know gas prices hit a 4-month high this week, with a
national average of $3.46 a gallon. In May 2023, it was calculated that
nearly 20 million households in the United States were behind on their
utility bills. That means they couldn't pay them or were having trouble
paying them.
In President Biden's first 26 months in office, energy prices
increased roughly 27.2 percent, the largest increase of any of the past
seven administrations.
President Biden's policies have directly contributed to these
unaffordable energy bills. He started his first day in office by
canceling the Keystone pipeline, eliminating the potential for 11,000
energy sector jobs.
He continues to block domestic mineral development while
simultaneously forcing a rush to green agenda, which makes the United
States reliant on foreign countries like China that use child labor,
have inhumane working conditions, and do their mining in a very
environmentally insensitive way.
To distract from high energy prices, President Biden directed the
largest drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the Nation's
history.
Now, the SPR, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is there for national
emergencies--in time of war, hurricane, and other natural disasters. He
drew it down for political purposes.
Under Democratic control, the SPR has been drained to its lowest
level since 1980 as an election year gimmick. It puts America at risk,
though, not having that Strategic Petroleum Reserve available.
President Biden's anti-American energy policies know no end. They are
taxing natural gas, blocking pipelines, banning LNG exports, which help
American producers but also help our friends and allies around the
globe, and imposing aggressive EPA regulations.
Just yesterday, the Biden administration announced a rule that would
mandate that nearly two-thirds of new vehicles must be all-electric by
2032, regardless of cost, functionality, or consumer choice, which
should drive the market for automobile production.
Congressman Newhouse's resolution denounces these policies and
encourages domestic energy production of reliable and affordable energy
sources.
Republicans have solutions, and those solutions will reverse the
Biden administration's war on energy. The House recently passed H.R.
7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act, to reverse the
Biden LNG export ban.
We also will be taking up this week H.R. 1023, the Cutting Green
Corruption and Taxes Act, to repeal both the EPA greenhouse gas
reduction fund and the EPA's recently proposed natural gas tax.
Republicans are leading to unleash American energy and deliver more
affordable and reliable energy to all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a ridiculous waste of our time. It
will do nothing to lower costs for the American people. It will do
nothing to grow our economy. It will do nothing to help us continue our
goal of leading the world in the clean energy transition. It will do
nothing to combat the worsening climate crisis.
This resolution does absolutely nothing. It is nothing more than a
long list of fabricated grievances against the Biden administration and
against the important work that congressional Democrats have
accomplished over the last few years.
It reads as if Republicans just fed their same old dirty energy
talking points into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out a resolution.
Instead of focusing on real solutions to bring down energy costs for
Americans, House Republicans are working to pass this meaningless
resolution that falsely claims the Biden administration is anti-
American energy, that that is what their policy is.
Let's look at the facts. The United States is currently producing
more energy than ever before in its history. That includes energy from
all sources--solar, wind, and, yes, more oil and gas than ever before.
While we are doing this, we are also making incredible progress in
addressing carbon emissions and air pollution. Last year, emissions in
the United States fell by 2 percent, even as the GDP grew by 2.4
percent.
Why are Republicans complaining? Why are they upset about the fact
that we found a way to pursue energy security while also lowering
energy costs for American families, boosting our economy, and tackling
the worsening climate crisis, all at the same time?
I am going to tell you why--because Republicans don't want anything
to stand in the way of their oil and gas friends. They refuse to
deviate from their polluters over people agenda, and they are wasting
floor time on meaningless resolutions and bills that won't go anywhere
because they are simply not capable of governing.
This Republican Congress is the least productive of any Congress
since the Great Depression. They don't have any new ideas or solutions.
Instead, they just continue to gravitate to their comfort zone, which
is doing the bidding of the oil and gas industry.
President Biden and congressional Democrats have taken a drastically
different approach. In stark contrast to Republicans' polluters over
people agenda, Democrats are fighting to lower American energy bills,
grow our middle class with new, good-paying clean energy jobs, and
combat the worsening climate crisis.
Through the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction
Act, we have seen clean energy projects growing all over the country.
New manufacturing facilities are making EVs, batteries, and other clean
energy technologies, and they are all booming because of crucial
investments from these two bills.
This leads to emission reductions, energy production, and, of course,
important new jobs. It is revitalizing communities across the country,
with more than 271,000 clean energy jobs created since the passage of
the Inflation Reduction Act.
In fact, the sponsor of this resolution will get to witness the power
of these investments in his own district in Washington State. Two
companies backed by bipartisan infrastructure law investments of $100
million are building next-generation EV battery plants in Washington
State, in his district, and are expected to create hundreds of new
jobs.
It is not just the State of Washington that is benefiting. Over half
of the Inflation Reduction Act's projects are located in congressional
districts represented by Republicans, totaling more than 144,000 new
jobs and over $262 billion in investments.
We are growing the economies in their districts, yet Republicans
continue to complain.
Republicans often talk about the Biden administration's so-called war
on energy. They mentioned it today. I honestly have no idea what they
are talking about. American energy production is breaking records. Gas
prices have remained stable over the last year. The Energy Information
Administration has forecasted that Americans are paying less for
heating costs this year than they did last year.
Other countries--and often our competitors--are investing rapidly in
clean energy. If we pause our important work, we will fall behind.
If Republicans have their way, we will stop competing, stop investing
in the booming clean energy economy, and simply recommit to expensive,
polluting fossil fuels as the way forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this do-nothing
resolution, and I urge my colleagues across the aisle to come up with
better things for all of us to do with our time, not waste our time.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H1316]]
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the hardworking Americans, the taxpayers in this
country, know that the rush to green policies of the Biden
administration have made energy more expensive.
The Democrats are going to say: Well, oil and gas production is
higher than it has ever been in this country.
Yes, it is, but it has nothing to do with the policies coming out of
the Biden administration, which started a war on American energy on day
one.
There is not a single policy you can point to that the Biden
administration has put forward that would increase oil and gas
production. In fact, they have done everything to harm oil and gas
production in this country.
Oil and gas production increases are due to the policies of the last
administration and policies that were set forth over the last decade--
nothing to do with the Biden rush to green policies that have made
energy more expensive.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr.
Scalise), our majority leader.
Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from South Carolina for
yielding and for his leadership on energy.
We sure are going to miss your voice. We have a few more months left
before you leave Congress, but you have been a great advocate for
American energy and for so many other forms of energy like nuclear
power.
Today, we are talking about how we can help those families who are
struggling. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 987 by Mr. Newhouse and
a number of other colleagues because if the policies of the Biden
administration were working so well, as some would try to claim, why
are families furious that they are paying about 40 percent more when
they go to the gas station to fill up their cars? Why are they furious
that when they pay their household electricity bills--if they can
afford to pay their household electricity bills--they are paying over
30 percent more?
It is because, from day one, when Joe Biden took the oath of office,
he issued an all-out assault on American energy.
For anybody who forgot or wants to glaze over it or say it didn't
happen or ask what they are talking about, the good news is we actually
documented all of those specific actions in this resolution, Mr.
Speaker, because it is President Biden who took these actions.
{time} 1315
Day one, he canceled the Keystone Pipeline. Now, what does that mean?
That would have been about 11,000 American jobs. You know what it also
would have meant? It would have meant about 830,000 barrels of oil
moving through the Keystone Pipeline.
Now, for the people that are trying to suggest that, oh, that is a
good thing--because there are some people that want to just eviscerate
American fossil fuels, and President Biden has led that charge, but
let's be very clear, Mr. Speaker, President Biden's war on fossil fuels
doesn't cover all oil and gas, it only covers American oil and gas.
Maybe that is the most perplexing part of his failed policies that
angers people. People have figured this out because they have watched
the President get on Air Force One, which, by the way, still runs on
jet fuel. They don't have solar panels on the wings of Air Force One.
It is not a green plane. He got on Air Force One, and he flew to Saudi
Arabia and begged them to produce more oil when he is shutting down
production in America.
Do you know what Saudi told him? They said, no, because they are a
cartel. They are a monopoly. They are part of OPEC. They want higher
prices. It benefits them to have higher prices. So they told President
Biden, no, but President Biden should have never even had to go to
Saudi.
Again, if President Biden is so against fossil fuels, if they are so
immoral as some on the left will suggest, then why is he getting on Air
Force One, using fossil fuels, and begging Saudi to produce more when
he is shutting it down here?
Again, he canceled lease sales in America. It is documented here in
the resolution we are voting on today. We didn't do that. Nobody else
did it but Joe Biden. He is the one who canceled lease sales.
President Obama actually had lease sales. President Trump had lease
sales. As my colleague from South Carolina pointed out, production
today--if you want to brag about production, that is great, because oil
production today is a result of investments made 5 and 10 years ago.
I represent parts of the Gulf of Mexico, home to some of the best oil
reserves in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Some of these rigs,
if you go out to a platform in the Gulf, they can produce over 100,000
barrels a day, but you don't just plop one down and start producing
100,000 barrels today.
If you get a lease today, you have to pay millions of dollars for it.
You can't because Joe Biden canceled lease sales, but if you got a
lease, you then have the luxury of going out and finding private
investment--because there is no government money like the solar panels
and the car batteries. You have to find private money. You might have
to find $2 billion to go and fund the oil rig. You build the platform.
It is a floating city. It is amazing American technology. And you put
it out in the Gulf of Mexico 60 miles offshore maybe drilling 12,000
feet below the surface.
Then you have to go back to the Department and get more permits. You
have to get permits for seismic, which you cannot get today, by the
way. You have to get permits to put pipelines and subsurface
infrastructure, which are almost impossible to get today because the
Biden administration doesn't want production.
You do all of those things, and you invest all of those billions of
dollars of private money, and if that well happens to produce, then
maybe 5 to 10 years later it gets the first drop of oil that comes out
of the ground and starts producing.
Well, again, that happened years ago, so I am glad people are taking
credit for it today. It didn't happen today. It didn't happen when Joe
Biden took the oath of office because Joe Biden took the steps to crush
it, killing pipelines, killing leases on new production, killing the
ability to get permits to go out and develop leases that you paid
millions of dollars to the Federal Government for.
That is what Joe Biden did.
It is documented right here.
But what he did worse after he killed American production--if this
was all about purity, and this was all about just protecting the world
from fossil fuels, that would have been it. But that is not what it is
about. It is a war on American energy because, again, he went to Saudi
to beg them to produce more oil when he just did a virtual ban on LNG
exports.
Do you know who that benefited? It crushed American jobs here. You
already saw some decimated jobs and canceled major, major multibillion-
dollar projects in America. Do you know who it emboldens, what Joe
Biden did? It emboldens Vladimir Putin.
Putin is making billions of dollars a month--not a year, a month.
Putin is making billions of dollars selling his oil and natural gas to
world markets because of what Joe Biden has done. Because now he has
crushed a lot more things like LNG exports, which we were using here in
America to help our friends around the world in Europe. We can help our
allies. But if Biden gets his way, which so far he has, we can't export
here. They still need energy in those other countries.
So where is Europe getting it from? From Russia. So on one hand, Joe
Biden is saying, oh, my God, Russia is evil, and he says we need to
help Ukraine, but then he is funding Putin's war effort by giving Putin
leverage and billions of dollars a month to finance the war against
Ukraine.
This is insanity, and it is raising costs on families here at home.
The hardworking families of America are sick and tired of Joe Biden's
failed energy policies. And they get it. They know what he has done.
People on this floor can sit here and deny that any of this stuff
happened, but it did. It is well documented in the resolution point by
point by point. I wish it was only one or two, and you can go focus on
those, but it is over 60 actions he has taken to attack American
energy--and, again, only American energy.
Venezuela is getting their ability to produce more.
Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, who funds
Hamas--Hamas, who invaded and attacked barbarically our great friend
[[Page H1317]]
Israel, where did they get that money? From Iran. Joe Biden reduced
sanctions against Iran, so they can sell their oil on world markets.
Again, if it was about purity and getting rid of oil, then it would
be for everybody. He wouldn't have lowered the sanctions against Iran,
but he did. Iran can go make billions of dollars a month like Putin is
making because of Joe Biden's policies, but here in America you can't
get new leases. It is almost impossible to get permits.
You can't do LNG exports because Joe Biden wants to attack American
energy. We are sick and tired of it. The American people are sick and
tired of it. It is hurting the people that can least afford it. The
lowest income families are paying the price for this failed policy. It
has got to end. The bills we are bringing to the floor point it out and
end it. The Senate should take these bills up. Everybody should vote
for it. These should be bipartisan exercises. Everybody should stand up
for American energy.
When I look at that beautiful flag right behind you, Madam Speaker, I
wonder why would we want to embolden Vladimir Putin with our energy
policies when we have enough energy in America to crush Putin, to crush
Iran, to crush Venezuela. OPEC would be irrelevant if we just produced
more American energy, and the only person standing in the way right now
is Joe Biden.
Let's end this madness.
Let's pass this legislation.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Crockett).
Ms. CROCKETT. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to
this ridiculous Republican attempt to deny reality.
You know, I must first start off by making sure that I can respond to
some things that were just said. As a member of the Agriculture
Committee, you probably know just like I do that we have a thing that
we have been fighting for called sustainable aviation fuels. This is
something that we know in speaking to organizations such as Boeing, we
know that we can actually operate planes off of something like
sustainable aviation fuels, and they are ready to do the hard work, and
guess what? Our farmers are ready to participate. Our farmers need to
make sure that they are going to expand their options for earning a
dollar because we have this thing called climate change that is taking
place.
Right now, especially in the State of Texas, we are losing so much of
our farmland because of this thing called climate change. We just had
wildfires that destroyed land.
We know that right now when it comes to our sugar crops we are having
issues because it takes 6 years just to raise a sugar crop. So guess
what? We have got to be creative. Honestly, if we would allow the
Republicans to continue to decide on what we are going to do when it
relates to energy, well, by gosh darn it, I think we would still be in
a horse and buggy because it seems like advancements in technology are
not what we are looking for.
No one is saying that it is either or. What we are saying is that we
need to make progress instead of being regressive. Under this current
administration, we know that we have a record amount of oil that is
being produced, but that doesn't mean that we can't also be smart about
our energy and move forward.
Now, let me get to my prepared remarks.
Instead of taking action to build on President Biden's progress,
House Republicans would rather sit on the sidelines in the least
productive Congress in modern history and ridicule rather than serve.
In this resolution, Republicans ridicule the President's energy
supply chain policy, but while Republicans ridicule, Biden brings
results.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. De La Cruz). The time of the gentlewoman
has expired.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 2
minutes.
Ms. CROCKETT. Madam Speaker, President Biden and the Democratic Party
brought billions of dollars in investment into the U.S. energy sector
through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Republicans ridicule the President's record on jobs in the energy
sector, but Biden is bringing over 1.4 million jobs to the U.S. through
the IRA.
Republicans ridicule the President's record on gas prices. These are
the same Republicans, by the way, who are refusing to lift a finger to
get critical aid to Ukraine which would lower gas prices even more.
Nevertheless, despite Republican inaction by sharing intelligence and
training with the Ukrainians, Biden, broke the blockade, lowering
Americans' gas prices.
Republicans ridicule the President's record on home energy
affordability, but Biden brought billions of dollars to help families
in need to pay their energy bills in each and every one of our
districts through the LIHEAP program, which Republicans refuse to fully
fund.
The fact is we know what Republicans want to do with our energy
sector. They showed us when they passed H.R. 1, which would put
polluters over people.
Without a positive agenda of their own, they stand on the sidelines
to ridicule President Biden's agenda. I appreciate this resolution, if
for no other reason than it clarifies where my colleagues on the other
side of the aisle stand.
I want the American people to know that Republicans ridicule
President Biden's agenda to combat the climate crisis by lowering
energy costs and investing in America.
While Republicans ridicule, Biden brings results.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the gentlewoman
across the aisle mentioned Ukraine because as the majority leader so
succinctly pointed out, Joe Biden's policies of shutting down American
energy production is actually funneling money to Vladimir Putin to help
him pay for the war in Ukraine, to pay for the Russian Army to go in
and kill Ukrainians.
It is hypocritical for them to talk about Ukraine in the light of
American energy production.
The gentleman from Washington State, the chair of the Western Caucus
has a great resolution that points out all of the things that the Biden
administration has done to kill the American energy golden goose laying
the golden egg, helping the economy.
Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Washington
(Mr. Newhouse).
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South
Carolina for yielding.
I rise today in proud support of H. Res. 987. This resolution
denounces the Biden administration's anti-American energy policies that
are designed to slow and kill domestic production as a gift to extreme
activists.
The result of this failed track record has been higher prices for
consumers--we all know that--and increased dependency on our
adversaries like Russia, China, and Venezuela for our energy needs.
The United States is blessed with an abundance of natural resources,
and we have the ability to achieve energy dominance. We can produce
affordable, reliable, and clean energy right here at home.
Instead, this administration is adamant on bending to the will of
these extreme activists who push policies and increase global
emissions.
{time} 1330
Madam Speaker, make no mistake, this war on American energy is not
one fought over science. It is being fought over ideology.
On his first day in office, President Biden canceled the Keystone XL
pipeline, as you have heard. That has cost 11,000 potential jobs in the
United States, hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day from our
supply, and cost rural communities throughout the central United States
millions of dollars in much-needed revenue.
President Biden illegally canceled oil and gas leases in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge and added extraction restrictions to over 13
million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, depriving
Alaska Native communities of key resources in revenue.
President Biden has proposed regulation after regulation designed to
end fossil fuel production, as he promised on the campaign trail, while
limiting resource production on our Federal lands.
In January of this year, Joe Biden announced a pause in future
liquefied
[[Page H1318]]
natural gas export terminal permits under the guise of climate change.
This misguided decision will restrict future supply of LNG to our
allies abroad who are seeking to end their reliance on Russian natural
gas. I can only imagine Vladimir Putin smiled after reading this news.
In addition to these restrictions on oil and gas production,
President Biden has also taken actions to make it harder to mine for
critical minerals in the United States and forcing a reliance, again,
on our adversary, the Chinese Communist Party.
By blocking mineral developments in northern Minnesota's Iron Range,
New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, and Arizona's Rosemont Copper, the Biden
administration is actively and persistently harming American industry.
As the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a member of
the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, I am
dedicated to restoring prosperity to rural communities across the
country and fighting President Biden's anti-American energy agenda.
Madam Speaker, we have the capability to not only be energy
independent but be a global leader in resource production. Our biggest
obstacle to that goal is the President of the United States.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I heard the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Washington
State, mention and make reference to Ukraine and then to LNG exports.
Let me say, the only thing that is holding up aid to Ukraine is the
Republican leadership.
The Speaker at any time could bring up a bill providing funding for
military purposes and supplies in Ukraine, and it would pass this House
overwhelmingly. I don't know why he isn't doing it. However, for them
to suggest on the other side of the aisle that somehow we are not
helping Ukraine, that is their fault because they refuse to bring up
the spending bill that will allow that to happen. It is not happening
this week. Then we are going to go on a 2-week break, and it is still
not happening. They are running out of ammunition in Ukraine to defend
themselves against Putin.
I will also mention the gentleman's reference to LNG exports. Again,
Republicans are ignoring the facts that don't conform with their
narrative.
The U.S. has become the number one exporter of LNG worldwide in just
a few short years, and there is enough already approved liquefied
natural gas export permits for us to triple our export capacity without
issuing a single additional permit.
This level of production, according to a letter sent by over 60
European Union lawmakers, will meet the energy needs of our allies in
Europe for years to come. We are supporting our allies. It is those on
the other side of the aisle, the Republicans, who are not supporting
our allies by not allowing legislation to come to the floor that will
help Ukraine.
The White House has issued an LNG pause that serves as an opportunity
to evaluate how the recent boom in LNG is contributing to greenhouse
gas emissions, environmental pollution, and domestic energy price
increases.
What we are saying here today--and this is what the Republicans
ignore--is that this administration, the Biden administration, is
increasing production, increasing production of oil and natural gas,
addressing renewables, getting more solar out there, getting more wind
out there, but at the same time making sure that our economy grows,
that gas prices don't increase, and addressing the climate crisis.
The White House has this LNG pause because one study found that the
rise in U.S. LNG exports over the past 3 years is contributing to
higher energy bills for American families.
We also shouldn't ignore the public health impacts of unfettered
fossil fuel development along our Gulf Coast. Study after study
demonstrates a link between fossil fuel plants and adverse health
outcomes. Louisiana's so-called Cancer Alley experiences low birth
weights of three times the national average and preterm births at twice
the national average.
I want to commend the administration for pausing new LNG permitting
to examine these potential impacts. Again, the LNG exports are
increasing. They are at a high. The European Union is benefiting from
them.
Unfortunately, Ukraine is not benefiting at all because the House
Republican leadership refuses to bring up legislation that would help
Ukraine defend themselves.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, in World War II, we stopped the Germans in
the Battle of the Bulge by running them out of fuel. We can influence
the war in Ukraine by stopping the flow of money to Vladimir Putin
through his sale of oil and gas by becoming an energy leader once
again. America has the ability.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Carter), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this
denouncing of the harmful and anti-American energy policies of this
administration.
On day one of his Presidency, Joe Biden declared war on American
energy, and he has not stopped since then. To no one's surprise, this
resulted in record inflation, destroying the purchasing power of
hardworking Americans.
Just yesterday, the administration finalized a new rule to force more
Americans to purchase electric vehicles, even if it isn't their best
option. Our government should not be choosing winners and losers,
especially when it impacts their livelihoods.
Today, EVs are largely a luxury item for most Americans. Most
Americans cannot afford one, and they also cannot afford a vehicle that
may not serve them when they need it. Parts of my district are
incredibly rural, and an EV is simply not practical for life there.
Other recent attacks on American energy by this administration
include its decision to pause LNG export approvals. What is being
called a pause now will last indefinitely and is a de facto ban.
This will cede our energy independence to countries like Iran and
Russia and force manufacturing and businesses abroad. Sadly, the Biden
administration is bowing to the far left's radical Green New Deal
agenda by imposing a policy that will, in fact, not reduce emissions.
News flash: China's carbon dioxide emissions increased last year by
twice as much as U.S. emissions declined. If we are concerned about
emissions, then the Iranian and Russian gas that will replace us in the
market is much dirtier and will lead to more emissions. Again, blocking
new LNG export projects won't reduce global emissions, but it would be
a gift to America's adversaries and show Europe that the U.S. isn't a
reliable ally.
It is saddening to see this administration do everything it can to
destroy our role as a global energy leader. These are things that
should not happen. The world will no longer look to the U.S. as an
energy leader, which inevitably will lead to a less stable world.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, years of work have gone into
becoming the global leader in increasing energy production. Reducing
energy prices through technological innovation, leading the world in
reduction of emissions, and providing energy stability and security,
these are strengths we should be embracing, not reversing.
The world will no longer look to the U.S. as an energy leader, which
inevitably will lead to a less stable world.
It is no secret that my friends on the left look to countries like
Germany as a role model for energy, which is the worst role model you
can possibly use.
I must think the opposite. While German emissions have dropped
significantly, it is largely due to manufacturing leaving the country.
That means fewer opportunities and less economic prosperity. We cannot
afford to follow that example.
Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Weber).
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, since President Joe Biden's first
[[Page H1319]]
day in office, he has actively attacked our energy industry.
Joe Biden's blatant political ploys to satisfy his radical climate
activists have directly impacted my energy-heavy district, which houses
approximately 50 percent of Texas' daily refining output. It is home to
seven of America's largest petroleum refineries, which processes 2.6
million barrels of oil every day. It is also home to three LNG
facilities and 60 percent of the Nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Our strategic reserve sites along the Gulf Coast are still
dangerously low on oil, leaving America more vulnerable to a true
energy supply disruption caused by a hurricane or natural disaster, not
to mention our enemies.
Port Arthur LNG, in my district, is now in limbo because this
President recklessly decided to ban LNG exports.
Do you know what that means for my district? This means that Texans
will be without jobs and our community will suffer because these
facilities typically invest heavily back into our community.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Texas.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, our way of life in southeast Texas
depends on the certainty of energy. The President's every move and
decision to kill our energy security has only resulted in leaving
America more reliant on foreign adversaries.
Madam Speaker, quite frankly, I am surprised the President has the
energy to do this.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).
Mr. FULCHER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina
for his leadership and the gentleman from Washington for bringing the
bill.
Madam Speaker, earlier today, the gentleman from Louisiana said it
pretty well. President Biden's assault on domestic energy production
has been nothing short of catastrophic for Americans.
Since he took office, we have witnessed staggering surges in energy
costs: gasoline prices up 33 percent, home heating oil up 44 percent,
electricity and natural gas up 29 percent.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to threaten our energy
infrastructure by refusing to unleash domestic energy production, so we
have to buy from our enemies. That is the point I wanted to underscore
that has been made before. We have to buy from our enemies as a
function of not proliferating our own domestic supply.
From canceling the construction of the Keystone pipeline on his first
day in office to revoking leases for oil, natural gas, and mining
outfits across the West, and his most recent decision to ban U.S.
exports of liquefied natural gas, the President has risked our national
security, taken jobs from Americans, and caused energy prices to
skyrocket, all in the name supposedly of climate change.
Enough is enough. I am proud to cosponsor H. Res. 987 to put an end
to the Biden administration's harmful anti-American energy policies. We
have to stop this practice of supporting the people who hate us. We
need to employ Americans and control our own destiny by proliferating
American energy production.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Res.
987. I don't have enough time in these 3 minutes to go through all of
the inaccuracies and misleading statements in this nonbinding
resolution or that I just heard on the floor this afternoon. In the
time I do have, I am going to cover some of the omissions in the
resolution.
{time} 1345
My friends on both sides of the aisle know that I am proud to
represent the great State of Texas and the city of Houston, the energy
capital of the world. We know a thing or two about energy production.
Here is what we know is happening right now under the Biden
administration: One, the United States is producing today more crude
oil than any other country at any other time in history; two, last
December, 3 months ago, the United States' natural gas production
reached an all-time high. 2023 also saw record growth in the solar
industry. That is more than 50 percent more than in 2022. The same
thing is true with wind energy which we produce a lot of in Texas.
After the last Congress passed and President Biden signed the
Inflation Reduction Act, forecasts for land-based wind energy installed
by 2026 increased by nearly 60 percent. That is enough to power an
additional 2 million homes.
At CERAWeek in Houston this week, industry leaders are talking about
other promising energy technologies: geothermal, hydrogen, and more.
Moreover, they are talking about climate because we have to do both. We
have to continue to lead the world in both production and ideas. That
is American energy dominance.
Policy disagreements are to be expected around here. We are here to
bring our diverse perspectives and experiences and engage
constructively to solve real problems and to address real concerns.
However, resolutions like this do nothing. They do the opposite of
facilitating dialogue and understanding, and they take up the time we
could spend solving real problems. I am kind of a broken record on
this, but I wish we were here right now doing permitting reform. That
is what we should be spending our time doing.
Let's engage constructively and build on the momentum and the
important steps that have been taken in the Biden administration to
ensure our energy independence, which have led us to produce the most
crude oil ever, to lead the world in natural gas production, to lower
gas prices, to grow wind and solar in record amounts, and to develop
new technologies and address emissions and climate change.
We can do all of those things and more if we do it together.
Madam Speaker, today I am voting ``no,'' and I encourage all of my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, this resolution claims that the Biden administration
has hampered the domestic production of energy and made the United
States more reliant on other countries for its energy needs.
This could not be further from the truth. I want to be crystal clear
to get this into the record: Under the Biden administration, the United
States is producing more energy than it has at any other point in its
history.
In fact, throughout the entirety of President Biden's term in office,
the U.S. has produced more energy than it has consumed. He is the only
President to have achieved that in my lifetime.
Last year, the United States added a record 33 gigawatts of solar
capacity, fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act, which is lowering
costs for Americans every day. We should be thanking President Biden
for unleashing American energy.
Republicans can say whatever they want, but the facts don't lie.
President Biden's energy policies are strengthening energy security and
positioning us to compete globally all while reducing emissions.
Please, I urge everyone to vote against the resolution.
Let me just say, this resolution is really flat out absurd in its
attempt by extreme Republicans to mislead the American public.
The data shows that we are producing more energy. It is not just oil
and gas. It is solar, it is more wind turbines, and it is exporting
more gas and liquid fuels than ever before. Meanwhile, the
administration is making significant progress in its effort to drive
down planet warming air pollution.
Last year, U.S. emissions fell, as I said, by 2 percent even as the
economy roared and GDP grew by 2.34 percent. These numbers are a clear
indication that we can achieve a safer climate while bolstering energy
security and job growth at the same time.
In the face of this climate crisis, the U.S. must continue to be a
global leader in the clean energy transition and help our communities
prevent further extreme weather and other climate impacts.
[[Page H1320]]
What we are seeing before us today with this resolution is the
Republicans' polluters over people agenda. That is the reality. It is a
policy that is outlined in this resolution that risks derailing the
immense progress that President Biden has made since taking office.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I can't emphasize enough that what we
are seeing with this President and this administration is an effort to
increase energy production across the board and at the same time become
a global leader on addressing the climate crisis.
Let us continue with that. Let us build on that. Don't take us back.
That is what this resolution would do. It would take us back.
Madam Speaker, I encourage everyone to vote against this resolution,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, my friend and colleague from South Carolina, Trey
Gowdy, when he served in Congress said this: There is a stubborn thing
about facts. It is that they are facts.
This resolution is facts.
Things the Biden administration has done to hurt American
independence are costing Americans more of their hard-earned dollars to
pay their basic utility bills and transportation fuels to go to work,
take their kids to school, to ball games, or to go to their houses of
worship.
It is costing them more today to fill their tanks than before the
Biden administration took office. In fact, as we pointed out, on day
one, the Joe Biden administration started a war on American energy by
stopping the Keystone pipeline. He has had fewer lease sales in the
Gulf of Mexico than any other President in decades. He had three.
President Obama had 20 lease sales.
As the majority leader said, instead of President Biden getting on
Air Force One after the invasion of Ukraine when energy prices were
going up and we were approaching a congressional election cycle,
President Biden, instead of getting on Air Force One and going to the
OPEC cartel in Saudi Arabia and begging them to produce more fossil
fuels--they claim to hate fossil fuels--but we are going to beg OPEC to
produce more so that we can consume more.
Instead of going to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, President Biden
should have got on his plane and gone to North Dakota, or gone to
Pennsylvania to the Marcellus shale, or gone to Louisiana, or gone to
the Permian Basin in Texas and begged American producers to produce
more so that Americans could use American-produced resources.
That is a winning strategy for America: to be energy independent.
I am glad the Democrats on the other side of the aisle are talking
about energy production being up right now; it is, but it has nothing
to do with the Biden administration policies. There is not a single
policy or regulation that the Biden administration has put forward that
has done anything to help American producers produce more and increase
that production.
All that production is the result of the Trump administration and
past administrations that have leased more property and produced more
resources. It takes years to produce a well. It takes years to go out
and find the resources, develop that well, and get that oil and gas
online.
That didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen in the last 3 or 4
years. It has happened because of policies in the past.
I thank my friend for praising President Trump's ability to unleash
American energy potential. That is a winning solution. Americans know
it. They know what they were paying at the pump before the Biden
administration, and they know what they are paying now. This bill
points it out. These are the facts, and the facts are undisputed.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 987,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 1085, the previous question is ordered
on the resolution and the preamble.
The question is on adoption of the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on adoption of H. Res. 987 will be followed by 5-minute
votes on:
Adoption of H. Con. Res. 86; and
The motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1836.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 217,
nays 200, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 96]
YEAS--217
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bean (FL)
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Bost
Brecheen
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burchett
Burgess
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carl
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chavez-DeRemer
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
D'Esposito
Davidson
Davis (NC)
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Duarte
Duncan
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Ezell
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Gaetz
Gallagher
Garbarino
Garcia, Mike
Gimenez
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez, Vicente
Good (VA)
Gooden (TX)
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Harris
Harshbarger
Hern
Higgins (LA)
Hill
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunt
Issa
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kean (NJ)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley
Kim (CA)
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Langworthy
Latta
LaTurner
Lawler
Lee (FL)
Lesko
Letlow
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McHenry
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Moran
Murphy
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Owens
Palmer
Peltola
Pence
Perez
Perry
Pfluger
Posey
Reschenthaler
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rosendale
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (NY)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NAYS--200
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Amo
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bowman
Boyle (PA)
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bush
Caraveo
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson
Carter (LA)
Cartwright
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dingell
Doggett
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frost
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Garcia, Robert
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gottheimer
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jackson (NC)
Jackson Lee
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Khanna
Kilmer
Kim (NJ)
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Magaziner
Manning
Matsui
McBath
McClellan
McCollum
McGarvey
McGovern
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Nickel
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Peters
Pettersen
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Quigley
Ramirez
Raskin
Ross
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Ryan
Salinas
[[Page H1321]]
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Slotkin
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Spanberger
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Suozzi
Swalwell
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Wexton
Wild
Williams (GA)
NOT VOTING--15
Frankel, Lois
Golden (ME)
Gosar
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Kildee
Molinaro
Nehls
Norcross
Pressley
Rose
Simpson
Williams (TX)
Wilson (FL)
{time} 1422
Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. VARGAS, Mses. SEWELL, WEXTON, and Mr. FROST changed
their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. DIAZ-BALART changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated against:
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have
voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 96.
____________________