[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16002]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                OIL PRICES ARE A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE

  (Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, Congress cannot afford to wait 
another day to address our Nation's energy crisis. Record gas prices 
are not only causing pain for American consumers every time they pull 
up at the pump, but high prices are also seriously threatening our 
national security.
  Consider $5 a barrel increase for a barrel of oil. That translates 
into $85 million that goes directly to Iran every week, which can then 
be sent to Hezbollah or to support the escalating sectarian violence in 
Iraq.
  Neither the Bush administration nor congressional Republicans have 
done enough to wean us off foreign oil. For 5 years now, we have 
refused to come up with bold new ideas. Instead, their answer last year 
was to give oil and gas companies $20 billion in tax breaks and 
subsidies.
  The former top aide to Secretary of State Rice told The New York 
Times yesterday, I do not think any of us have done a terribly good job 
of thinking through, and how far behind the eight ball we are on these 
issues.
  For 5 years now, Washington Republicans have been unwilling to think 
outside of the box for fear that they will irritate their special 
interest friends in Big Oil. I think it is time that we lead America in 
a new direction.

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