Frank Pallone: “Madam Speaker, we all know that American families are struggling to make ends meet. President Trump promised to cut…”

“Madam Speaker, we all know that American families are struggling to make ends meet. President Trump promised to cut energy bills in half in his first year, but that has not happened. In fact, electricity prices are up by 13 percent across the Nation and 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills. These increases did not just happen. They were a direct result of the Trump administration's disastrous policies, policies that have been rubber-stamped by House Republicans. It is bad enough that Trump and congressional Republicans have ignored the affordability crisis and have instead done everything they can to help out their rich and big corporate interest buddies, but House Republicans are bringing up a bill today that will actually increase your monthly energy bill and make the appliances in your home more expensive to operate. It is hard to imagine being more out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans. First, I have to mention that H.R. 4626 would make the appliances in your home more expensive to operate, sending your already high electricity bill even higher. Like all other appliance-related debates, this bill is just another way to kill floor time for Republicans who seem to only be able to garner enough Republican votes for bills to help their corporate polluter friends. This bill guts the appliance energy conservation standards program at the Department of Energy.”