Free Flow of Information Act of 2007 - Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION ACT OF 2007--MOTION TO PROCEED -- (Senate - July 30, 2008)

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, voting for cloture on this bill will take us off the single most important issue in America. The American people are clamoring for legislation that will bring down the price of gas at the pump. They expect their representatives in Washington to do something about this crisis and to do something about this crisis right now.

Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership has already tried to take us off the subject, to take us away from this issue a full four times in the last 5 days. About 8 in 10 Americans disagree with them. Eight out of ten Americans disagree with the decision to try to move us off legislation dealing with the No. 1 issue in America. The American people think $4-a-gallon gasoline is a crisis that ought to be dealt with now; not in September, now. Dealing with this issue should not have to wait until even next year, as some have suggested. The high price of gas at the pump is the most important domestic issue in America. I am not even sure at this point what is in second place, but we all know what is in first place.

I will vote that we stay on the Energy bill, and we ought to stay on it until we get a solution for the American people. I urge my colleagues to vote against moving off the subject of lowering the price of gas at the pump. Let's finish the job. This is only July. We have plenty of time left this year to do other things that are confronting our country. But let's focus on the No. 1 issue confronting the American people: the price of gas at the pump. The way to do that is to stay on the subject and vote to stay on the subject, vote to avoid going to some other issue. While it may be important, it is not as important as this one.

Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of our time, and I yield the floor.

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