David Skaggs: “this is bad budget policy. It is going to make it $30 billion-plus harder to balance the budget over the next 6 years.…”

“this is bad budget policy. It is going to make it $30 billion-plus harder to balance the budget over the next 6 years. It is bad consumer policy, unlikely that our citizens are going to see very much of this reflected at the pump. It is lousy energy policy. We ought to be focused on conservation and efficiency. This goes in exactly the wrong direction. It is lousy national security policy because it aggravates our dependence on foreign imported oil and all that goes with that, and it is really lousy politics. It gives pandering a bad name. Does anyone here remember the budget deficit? Today, the House will vote on a bill to temporarily repeal the 4.3 cent gas tax increase that was a part of the landmark 1993 deficit reduction package. That deficit reduction bill was a big step toward getting the budget under control. Because of what we did in 1993, we've had 4 straight years of deficit reduction for the first time in decades. Since then, the deficit has been cut in half. So, why are we rushing to take up a bill to repeal the 4.3 cent gas tax that is dedicated to deficit reduction? The answer is that the Republican leadership thinks that there is election-year mileage to be had from pandering to what they think will be popular; and others among us are experiencing some panic about being caught on the wrong side of the issue. Pandering and panic--that's a potent election-year mix, but a toxic one in terms of good public policy.”