Calling Attention to the Energy Crisis

Floor Speech

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Mr. BALDERSON. Madam Speaker, I thank my neighbor in Pennsylvania for hosting this Special Order this evening.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of restoring American energy independence to combat skyrocketing prices at the pump, which just yesterday soared past all-time highs.

Last month, President Biden pledged to use every tool at our disposal to limit the effects of rising gas prices on American consumers and bolster energy supplies to our European allies.

Sadly, this commitment and the actions of this administration remain grossly misaligned.

Examples of these destructive decisions include: canceling the Keystone XL pipeline; halting new leases on Federal lands; greenlighting Russia's Nord Stream 2 project, while weakening our energy infrastructure here at home; begging OPEC to boost output and tapping into our Nation's emergency stockpile, all while refusing to take steps to boost domestic production; and proposing new punitive taxes and fees on producers.

Recently, the administration signaled its desire to increase imports from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to offset the ban on Russian energy. Stopping the flow of energy from one authoritarian regime while opening the door to others does not strengthen America's energy security.

We must recommit the United States to energy independence. We must end the war against America's energy producers. And we must protect our energy infrastructure.

I join my colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to reverse course on the failed policies that are driving up costs for consumers, weakening America's energy security, and empowering our adversaries.

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