Political Quotes

“Mr. President, American consumers are hurting. Unemployment remains stubbornly high at 9 percent. And, energy costs are escalating, and increasing the cost of many other goods and services, such as groceries, clothing and other household necessities. During the 2-week Senate recess in April, I met with Iowans at meetings in 33 of Iowa's counties. One issue that came up at every single meeting was the high cost of gasoline at the pump. Iowa is a State that depends heavily on energy. Our rural families commute many miles to go to work, take kids to school, and do their household shopping. During the spring planting season, farmers use hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline in their trucks and tractors as they work to get the crops in the ground. Iowa's manufacturers are also heavily dependent on energy. Prices at the pump are near $4 a gallon. All of our constituents are crying out for action to lower these prices. So, it makes sense that Congress would consider steps to address the rising energy costs and work to drive down the costs to consumers at the pump. Unfortunately, that is not what the bill before us would do. This bill would not drive down the cost at the pump at all, and it would very likely lead to higher prices for consumers. The bill before us would increase taxes for the five largest domestic oil producers. It won't lead to the production of any more oil and gas. It won't create a single job.…”