Calling Attention to the Energy Crisis
Floor Speech
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, we are here tonight to call attention to the energy crisis that is being felt both at home and abroad.
This crisis has sent prices skyrocketing and has caused deep uncertainty that leaves our businesses vulnerable and American families less secure.
Let's be very blunt. This energy crisis is a crisis that exists for two reasons. The first reason is the recent rise in gas prices that has been caused by Vladimir Putin's unlawful war against the people of Ukraine. The second reason is President Biden's long-term refusal to support American energy producers by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and by stopping new drilling here at home.
By threatening new and burdensome taxes on energy producers, the Biden administration has deliberately raised energy prices on all American families, all for the sake of appeasing radical environmentalists.
As we stand here today, there are untapped energy reserves under the feet of my constituents, and these can be used to address the crisis that we are talking about tonight. It is time to unleash that energy, and it is time to unleash American energy dominance.
Americans can't afford what is happening right now. Gas prices are up over 11 percent in just the last month, forcing families to make hard choices about what they can afford.
Over the course of this Special Order, you will hear from many of my colleagues about the state of our energy industry. You will hear real solutions that can help lower costs while at the same time reinforcing our necessary national security.
This is a time to talk about these real solutions. Right now, we have an incredible number of opportunities to help lower energy costs while driving innovation at the same time. Through American ingenuity, we can create millions of new family-sustaining jobs in our energy industry.
It won't be easy. It will take Congress and the administration working alongside our energy industry to reform cumbersome regulations that limit our energy production. Now is the time to give our producers the tools that they need to develop new technologies to modernize the electric grid and our oil and natural gas infrastructure and unlock new and exciting opportunities.
I thank so many of my colleagues for joining me here tonight for this important Special Order, and I yield to my colleague from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).
MR. BERGMAN: Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
A lot of us were here on the House floor just a few months ago highlighting the problems with the Biden administration's energy policies. We were here. We are back again.
Being here again, we are saying the same things, only maybe a little farther down the road facing another self-inflicted completely avoidable crisis.
From day one, President Biden has put America last when it comes to our energy needs. And Americans are paying for it, quite literally.
While gas prices are up all over the country, in my district we are seeing some of the highest prices in the entire State of Michigan.
And let's be clear, the administration's approach to energy has been a problem long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Gas prices have been going up for months in response to heavy inflation brought about from out-of-control spending.
House Republicans have been sounding the alarm on the national security implications of our energy dependence and the problem with relying on nations like Russia for our energy needs.
But those legitimate concerns have largely been ignored. And now we are seeing the consequences of this administration's policies.
So where is America supposed to turn for oil and gas? Instead of promoting our domestic energy industry and working to make us more independent, the administration is looking to nations like Iran and Venezuela.
How can President Biden think it is a good idea to go from one bad actor to another in search of a solution to this self-induced energy crisis?
The only way to solve our energy crisis while ensuring our national security is to break the chains this administration has put on our energy producers. It is way past time. Let's break those chains now.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his insight.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), my friend and colleague.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman and appreciate his comments.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), my colleague and friend from the Doctor's Caucus.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), my colleague and friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan.
Madam Speaker, one issue that needs to be addressed tonight is how the rising cost of gas disproportionately affects rural Americans who drive longer miles to get to work, to get to the grocery store, even to get to their kids' schools.
Today, the average cost for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is $4.23 a gallon. And now it is estimated that the average family will pay an extra $1,300 for gas this year alone. It is unaffordable. And it is time to unleash American oil drilling to help bring the prices down and once again establish American energy dominance.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), my friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), my colleague and friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kansas.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), the energy-rich Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for his remarks.
Madam Speaker, right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine and their fight against Putin's unlawful war. Refusing to buy Russian oil will go a long way towards showing Putin and his corrupt Russian oligarchs that they will pay a steep price for this war.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), my colleague and friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his excellent remarks.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my colleague and friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice), my friend and colleague.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Oklahoma.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs), my colleague and friend.
Mr. JACOBS of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Joyce for holding this very important event today.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the millions of Americans who are facing pain at the pump and around the Nation. On his first day in office, President Biden signaled to the world that American energy independence was no longer a priority. He canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on day one. He made regulatory changes to make new domestic production incredibly punitive. He put a moratorium on all new drilling on Federal lands.
The President's actions set the high prices we are seeing today in motion. Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, Americans were getting squeezed by the inflationary tax caused by careless and unrealistic policymaking. In fact, the national average for a gallon of gasoline had risen over a dollar in the year before Russia took this malign action.
International events have sent prices higher in the past week, but the administration cannot hide from the fact that their policies have amplified this financial crisis. The solution to this crisis is clear-- American production and energy independence are the best protections we have at our disposal.
The President must reverse the course of his administration immediately and allow the full force of the U.S. energy industry to be unleashed in Americans' time of need.
Banning Russian oil imports out of principle is one thing, but it rings of hypocrisy when the administration turns around and immediately begins negotiating with vile dictators in Iran and Venezuela. The solution is no better there, and simply expands our dependence on hostile foreign nations for our economic and national security.
Madam Speaker, perhaps the administration does not want to admit their early anti-energy moves were wrong, but American energy and financial security cannot hinge on the egos of the President and his staff.
It is time to get out of the way of American production, allow our producers to increase capacity, and deliver affordable energy to the American people free from malign influence. Our future prosperity and national security depends on it.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York. One thing is abundantly clear from the speakers tonight, there is a growing need to utilize American innovation. Americans and our know-how have always stepped up and bend the individuals who can get us through crises.
Yet, we are not utilizing the resources that are under the feet of Americans. American ingenuity is the answer. American businesses have already cut our energy emissions by more than any other country over the past 20 years. We were able to do this because of new and innovative technologies that our American businesses produced.
The answer is clear: we need to bring more American technologies to market as soon as possible. That message has been reiterated by my colleagues throughout tonight's Special Order.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), my colleague and friend.
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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his excellent remarks. I would like to thank all the Members who have been here tonight. When I proposed holding this Special Order, we received an overwhelming response. Perhaps that is exemplified by the number of Members who stayed late into the evening to discuss the energy crisis that right now is affecting every American.
This truly shows the commitment that congressional Republicans have to working to revitalize American energy dominance. It is a testament to how important this issue is. We truly have been able to discuss the issues that have dreadful effects on so many American families right now, this evening. This energy crisis that President Biden created is impactful tonight, tomorrow, and until we use American innovation to respond correctly.
Madam Speaker, what we have shown here tonight is a road map back to American energy dominance.
It is a plan to increase innovation. It is a plan to rebuild our energy grid. It is a plan to cut harmful regulations and a plan to ensure that the American people have safe, reliable, and affordable energy.
So, once again, Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their remarks, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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