Ralph Hall: “I rise today to agree with the resolution, but the real substance of the debate on the House floor today should be about…”

“I rise today to agree with the resolution, but the real substance of the debate on the House floor today should be about gas prices. That is the substance of what we should be talking about as a people because I know my constituents are talking about it. They commute to work each day and pay and pay and pay high gas prices every day. And it is because this Congress hasn't acted. Now, certainly the resolution calling for more math and science students, that's well and good, but what we should be talking about right now is how we're going to become energy independent as Americans, how we use American resources, whether it's natural gas, petroleum products, energy research, how are we going to invest in those things now. This Congress, this Democrat leadership has failed to act, and I think that's irresponsible. You know, one answer that they say is conservation. That's what some on the other side of the aisle say is the answer. And, you know, conservation is a sign of personal virtue, but we cannot conserve our way to energy independence, American energy independence. So what do we do? Well, I believe we have to use our technology and our innovation here in the United States to become energy independent.”