On the recordMarch 1, 2011
When I returned to Illinois last week, I talked to my constituents, and the refrain I heard over and over was their frustration and concern about the pain they're feeling at the gas pump. And it's not just hurting them. It is threatening to damage our economy. It's already a weak economy, and it is damaging it even worse. At this moment, the average cost of a gallon of gas in my home State of Illinois is over $3.50--more than 10 cents higher than the national average. These prices are unseasonably high, hitting Illinoisans and Americans hard in their already-thinned pocketbooks and threatening our economy's tenuous recovery. It's clear that Congress must act to protect our constituents from even higher gas prices by expanding our Nation's domestic energy production. More energy production here at home would not only reduce the cost of gas, putting money back in the wallets of every American; it would also create the kind of good-paying jobs that so many people need and will help get our economy running again. Creating jobs, saving our constituents money, and helping the economy should be bipartisan goals, and we can achieve them by expanding American energy production. I hope we come together to accomplish these goals in the weeks and months ahead.
