Political Quotes

“I come to the floor to offer amendments to this bill. Let me assure our colleague from Illinois that they are not amendments about contraception or any other unrelated issue. They are energy amendments, which go directly to one of the greatest challenges all of our constituents, fellow citizens, face, which is the ever- rising price at the pump. I am glad we are on this Menendez bill, because at least it puts us on that major challenge that faces Louisiana's lower to middle-class families, and those families in Illinois, and all around the country. I bring amendments that are directly relevant to that. The first amendment has to do with supply. First of all, let me say why I oppose the Menendez bill. It is because when we tax something at a higher level, when we increase the tax on it, we get less of it. So it will produce less energy, in particular less U.S. domestic energy. When we lower supply, we increase the price. It is not only not going to have a positive impact on the price at the pump, it will increase the price and have a negative impact. I take the opposite approach. We need to increase supply, starting with activity and supply right here at home in the United States. So my amendment, offered along with Senator Murkowski of Alaska, No. 1965, would do that. It would replace President Obama's current 5-year plan for Outer Continental Shelf leasing with basically the plan that existed previously, which is double President Obama's plan.…”