[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 DEMOCRATS ARE WORKING TO REDUCE THE PRICE OF OIL AT THE PUMP BUT FACE 
                     RESISTANCE FROM PRESIDENT BUSH

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, American families and businesses are 
paying a heavy price for the Bush administration's failure to enact a 
comprehensive energy strategy. Families are now paying an all-time 
record high of $3.50 for regular gasoline, and that's more than double 
the cost when President Bush took office in 2001.
  Last year Democrats worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass the Energy 
Independence and Security Act, which is expected to save American 
families between $700 and $1,000 per year at the pump. But there's 
still much more that needs to be done.
  Last month the House passed legislation that would take billions in 
taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil and instead give them to renewable energy 
companies who are investing in the energy solutions of the future. This 
makes sense. After all, the big five oil companies continue to reap 
record profits. Why do they need handouts from this government?
  Mr. Speaker, if President Bush and my friends across the aisle are 
serious about providing some relief to the American consumer, they 
should reconsider their opposition to this legislation.

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