Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I thank not only the Senator from North Dakota but many others for the effort that has been made to get us to this point where we will soon have the opportunity to vote to lift a 40-year-old ban on export. We are the only Nation in the world that produces oil that limits our ability to export that. It is a policy that 40 years ago may have made sense at that time, but it is so outdated. It is so past time that we recognize we are that energy superpower, and, as that energy superpower, act like one. The Senator from North Dakota mentioned there were very few people initially who thought this could be done. In January of 2014, I gave a speech to the Brookings Institute, and I called for repeal of the ban. At that time, I was the first policymaker who really got out front and said what a lot were thinking but were thinking maybe this was way too soon. A couple months later, I had the opportunity to lay out a framework or a pathway forward--a pathway that said we are not going to lay down legislation right now; we are going to build the case, and 2014 is going to be the year of the report. There were some dozen reports--very considered, substantive reports--that came out and said: This isn't going to increase the price of oil. This is going to be good for jobs and our economy.…”