Political Quotes

“over the past decade, the five major oil companies have made more than $1 trillion--that is not billions; it is ``T,'' trillions. They have also taken home billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies--our money they have also taken--to add to those grossly exaggerated profits. They get these subsidies they do not need. You do not need to take my word for it. Even oil executives admit an industry making hundreds of billions of dollars in profits every year does not need a handout from the American taxpayer. Former Shell CEO John Hofmeister said a decade of high gas prices is incentive enough for oil companies to drill for more oil: My point of view is that with high oil prices, such subsidies are [totally] unnecessary. We agree. So do almost 80 percent of the American people. There is no reason for these companies--five companies last year made $137 billion--to need subsidies from the American taxpayer. So today Senate Republicans are going to have a chance--another chance, another opportunity--to show Americans where they stand on this issue. I hope they will allow us to invoke cloture on this and to complete this legislation today. They appear poised, however--what I have heard from my friends on the other side of the aisle--to pick the pockets of American taxpayers in order to line the pockets of these oil executives.…”