Biden's Assault on American Energy

Floor Speech

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Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for hosting this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of every American family. Cold, dark, and hungry is where those families will be if we continue on this path: cold, dark, and hungry.

Just two years ago, the United States became energy independent, the number one producer of oil and gas in the entire world, thanks to the previous administration's leadership on deregulating industry that made greater gains in reducing harmful emissions than any other administration in the history of this country.

Now, we risk losing our competitive edge on the world stage with needless regulations and more taxes in the budget reconciliation bill that will only hurt small and independent producers and will hurt every working-class family in this country.

Let's look across the Atlantic to our neighbors in Europe right this second who are currently suffering through a cataclysmic energy crisis. Their shortage of natural gas and fuel is causing multiple governments across Europe to shut down factories and to warn their citizens to prepare for consistent blackouts. Cold, dark, and hungry.

Meanwhile, the fuel lines are growing scarily close to what we saw in the 1970s. This world of shortages, blackouts, and fuel lines may be in Europe today, but it is going to be a reality right here in the United States if this administration continues to push reckless and destructive energy policies.

The fate of this is in the hands of this body right here, of Democrats who say that they support oil and gas. But we know that the vote that is going to happen this week will determine whether or not they really support it.

As technology advances and the world population continues to grow, we are only going to need more and more energy to power this world.

The truth is that renewables simply cannot provide affordable and reliable energy. In my home State, in my district, we produce more wind energy than the entire State of California. We know a little bit about renewables.

A strong energy sector is nonnegotiable.

Unfortunately, my colleagues continue to push policies that have destroyed American energy independence and will devastate over 10 million jobs right here in the United States.

American private energy industry ingenuity can compete toe-to-toe with anyone in the world to deliver a safe and responsible energy source, but we cannot shackle our production with ill-advised policies and regulations.

The Permian Basin, where I represent, is the reason that every American can enjoy affordable, reliable energy in so many other places across this United States.

Energy security is national security, and nothing can be more important. Anyone voting in favor of reconciliation is voting against American energy and is voting against the independence that keeps our national security so strong.

I urge my colleagues to support the energy industry and to embrace an all-of-the-above energy approach, which is so dependent on American oil and gas.

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