Ed Markey: “Mr. Speaker, when there is a tobacco scandal, who do we bring in before Congress? The tobacco company executives. When…”

“Mr. Speaker, when there is a tobacco scandal, who do we bring in before Congress? The tobacco company executives. When Ford and Firestone are implicated in the death of 138 Americans and hundreds of others, who do we bring in to testify? The CEO of Ford, the CEO of Firestone. When the oil companies, however, are found ripping off the American taxpayer to the tune of $438 million, with potentially billions of additional dollars still unaccounted for, who does the Committee on Resources bring in? They bring in the oil company executives? No. The whistleblower. Let us investigate the whistleblowers. Mr. Speaker, if the public is looking at this and they are wondering what Congress is doing in the final 2 weeks, they just have to look on the Republican side. The President deploys the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Republicans hold hearings, both the Senate and House energy committees last week. What is the scandal that they are investigating? The price of oil was nearing $40 a barrel when the President deployed it. It is now down to $32 a barrel. The scandal? The price of oil has dropped. The consumers have benefitted. Gasoline prices are down. Home heating oil prices are down.”