[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11974]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      DEMOCRATS TAKE ACTION ON RECORD HIGH GAS PRICES AT THE PUMP

  (Mr. WU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I, for one, welcome this opportunity to engage 
in a debate with my friends across the aisle about who truly stands 
with the American consumer versus standing with Big Oil.
  Over the weekend, the average price for a gallon of gas hit $4 per 
gallon. It's $4.50 per gallon at the pump closest to this debate. These 
outrageous prices are taking their toll on all of us, and the average 
American driver now pays more than $2,200 per year for gasoline, up 
from about $1,400 a year in 2001 at the beginning of the Bush 
administration.
  Since January 2007, when this Democratic Congress came into the 
majority, we have been committed to changing the Nation's energy policy 
so we can lower prices at the pump. Last year, this Democratic Congress 
passed the landmark law that will make cars and trucks more efficient, 
which will eventually save American families somewhere between $700 to 
$1,000 each year. We have followed this up this year by passing bills 
cracking down on price gouging by Big Oil.

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