August Pfluger: “It is unfortunate that we have to be here to talk about this. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, as the…”

“It is unfortunate that we have to be here to talk about this. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, as the Representative of one of the most important energy production areas in the country, this is a national security issue. The Biden administration's assault on our baseload, dispatchable generation of electricity has resulted in record-high prices for consumers and looming resource inadequacies throughout the country, and it has threatened our grid reliability. Just a few weeks ago, the Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Electricity, Mr. Rodrigues, testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee regarding policies to enhance the reliability and efficiency in powering American homes. I am sad to say that at this hearing, Mr. Rodrigues, who is the head of electricity at the Department of Energy, had no idea how much electricity the United States uses each year. He stated that the reason he was chosen for this position was not because he was a subject matter expert. It saddens me to be standing here, but that is just not an acceptable position, and this glaring lack of knowledge is not okay. It is unacceptable from the head of the Department of Energy's electricity division. This administration has worked every day to transform energy industries and to push a green agenda that doesn't work, that is not reliable, that doesn't take into account reliability. Their own named Assistant Secretary doesn't know how much electricity we use.…”