Louise Slaughter: “there are two fundamental problems with the bill before us today: What it does and what it does not to do. The bill will…”

“there are two fundamental problems with the bill before us today: What it does and what it does not to do. The bill will not address the very real and very immediate problems millions of Americans are facing every day. People are struggling to be able to afford to drive to work in the morning, and families are wondering how they are going to pay to heat their homes this winter. But the GAS Act we are considering today will not help them. This energy bill, written in the midst of what is threatening to become the worst energy crisis the country has ever experienced, does nothing to help reduce the price of gasoline. That is not me talking, the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), admitted this very fact in the Committee on Rules yesterday. He told us without taking command and control measures, this Congress cannot do anything in the short term to lower gas prices, even if the bill is passed, and he wrote the bill. I hope every American pays attention to that fact because it is a very important one. With this bill, the Republican leadership is telling you they know there is a problem, they know you are suffering, but there is nothing they can do about it; but it is not true that they cannot, it is just true that they will not. There are things that this Congress can do to help our fellow Americans in this time of crisis. There are measures that can be taken that will help reduce the price of gasoline.…”