Kevin Roberts: “I rise today to speak in favor of the legislation that has been introduced by my friend and our Republican leader…”

“I rise today to speak in favor of the legislation that has been introduced by my friend and our Republican leader, Senator McConnell, that would take our country in the direction of greater domestic energy production, and certainly robust job creation, as opposed to taxing--or trying to--the very people who provide our energy. Madam President, as every American knows, few issues today are more critical to the American taxpayer than the price of energy. Whether it is powering our homes or fueling farm equipment or filling up our cars at the pump, the price of energy directly impacts the cost of goods and operating expenses for our American producers. Now, while there is a multitude of variables that impact the cost of gasoline, it is important we don't overlook the main factor in impacting prices at the pump--and one more time, for my colleagues across the aisle, that is the global supply and demand of crude. With roughly 70 percent of the price of gasoline and diesel contingent on the price of crude, it should be easy to understand that any fluctuations in global supply and demand is the most important factor determining what consumers pay at the pump. Considering in my State alone the oil and gas industry supports over 119,000 jobs and annually contributes $14 billion to the Kansas economy, it is not hard to understand that much of our concerns regarding the U.S.…”