Lee Terry: “And I am grateful you stayed long enough to speak tonight. You did a great job, and I really appreciate all of the work…”

“And I am grateful you stayed long enough to speak tonight. You did a great job, and I really appreciate all of the work and effort you do to secure America's future. In conclusion, Madam Speaker, energy, again, is the cornerstone of our economy. Sometimes we speak rather scientifically. We don't speak in the terms of how does it really affect me, not as a Member of Congress, but, you know, we represent 600,000 or 700,000 people in our districts. What we are trying to do is secure America's future. If we focus on energy, we secure it in so many different ways. I hear from my constituents that they are frustrated at the increase of food prices in the grocery store, the continuous up-and-down swings of gasoline at the pump. The costs per family for just transportation fuel has gone from 6 percent of their income to now 11.6 percent, just in the last 6 years. Those are the type of things that really make it more difficult for our families in our districts. So a solid, encompassing energy policy helps alleviate those cost frustrations of every family. Many people will say, You talk about affordability and reliability. What are you talking about? How does it actually make things more affordable? What is reliability?…”