Hal Rogers: “If you do really great stuff and you innovate our way out of this problem and we start using less energy and become more…”

“If you do really great stuff and you innovate our way out of this problem and we start using less energy and become more energy independent, guess what. In this bill, it says: Utility companies, to make up the difference, you can charge your customers more. So you know what, people who are losing their job, go out and buy really fancy light bulbs that save you money. And when you do, the utility gets to come in and charge you more for your electricity. This is a sham and it is unconscionable what we are doing to real working Americans. I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that we would take a moment to stop and think about the people that we are impacting. This isn't about a political victory. It is about people who right today are getting pink slips from General Motors. Or maybe they already have, and are hoping and praying that they will get a chance at a job in the future. This bill is wrongheaded. It is dangerous to the future of this country. And we are telling our children: Guess what, we are sentencing you to debtors prison, and foreign governments are going to be the jailers. Good luck.”