Political Quotes

“I recently returned to Illinois and traveled across the State. It is interesting to me that there is one pervasive issue that you run into in every corner of my State and that is the cost of energy, because while I was home people were still reeling from high gasoline prices, and announcements were being made about dramatic increases in natural gas costs over the winter, which means record breaking home heating fuel costs. That is going to cause as great a hardship as the high gasoline prices on many individuals and families and businesses large and small. People are changing their spending habits and driving patterns to try to offset the high cost of gasoline. Consumers are now paying about $2.75 per gallon of gasoline. That is up over 80 cents from a year ago. Americans are now bracing for the record-high energy prices they will face when cooler weather arrives and the cold sets in. The Energy Information Administration recently predicted nearly a 50- percent increase in home heating costs this winter. That is going to cause an extraordinary hardship on many people--those on fixed incomes, those on very limited incomes, and those who happen to live in old dwellings that do not have a lot of insulation. I met with families all across Illinois who are struggling with these high energy costs and their family budgets. They want to know what Congress is going to do. They know we spend a lot of time on the floor of the Senate talking about a lot of things.…”