Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1229, Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1230, Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. LANDRY. Mr. Speaker, what amazes me is that the gen tle lady from Florida must have missed the AP report a couple of weeks ago when it said that Florida was getting ready to experience another oil crisis and it was in the fact that the price at the pump is going to impact tourism.
Tourism. That's what I hear here all the time. Our tourism jobs. Jobs that normally pay minimum wage. When in my State, oil and gas jobs pay much better than that.
If we want to get this economy rolling, we have to provide that economy
with affordable energy, not make-believe energy, not energy that comes in possibly 40 or 50 years from now. We need to apply affordable energy to this economy now. It will not get any better in this country until we give middle class Americans affordable energy, so that they can get to and from their job.
Repealing section 199 will endanger 600,000 barrels per day, 10 percent of our domestic production by 2017. Boy, that's really going to lower the price at the pump.
They're concerned about Medicare and Medicaid. Well, where do you think those profits to shareholders go? Do you know who those shareholders are? They're the American people. Do you know how many pension plans hold those shares of Exxon and Chevron in their portfolio?
Why are we picking those winners and losers? As a freshman, it's hard for me to understand how we continue in this town to reward failure and punish winners. It just amazes me.
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