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“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
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Pelosi: Democrats Stand Ready to Stop Gas Price Gouging, While Republicans Do Nothing
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi submitted the following statement into the Congressional Record today in support of Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth’s (D-SD) motion that would fight gas price gouging. The motion was defeated on a party-line vote. Below are Pelosi’s remarks:
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Stupak, and the gentlewoman from South Dakota, Ms. Herseth, for their extraordinary leadership in fighting price gouging at the gas pump.
“Despite the American people’s demand for action, the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress are doing absolutely nothing.
“Three weeks ago, the Bush Administration even claimed that price gouging was not a federal concern. Pressure from Democrats finally caused the Federal Trade Commission to start an investigation, an investigation that in true Bush cronyism style is led by a former ChevronTexaco lawyer. And in the House Energy Committee today, in a party-line vote, Republican committee Members voted unanimously against Mr. Stupak’s bill.
“Instead of the bold action that the American people deserve, what we have seen from Republicans is more of the same: a culture of corruption, incompetence, and cronyism.
“In contrast, Democrats have been working for months, long before Hurricane Katrina, to bring down the price of gas at the pump and home heating oil. Today, Democrats again stand ready to do something about price gouging. The Stupak-Herseth motion to recommit will give the federal government the tools to crack down on price gouging by the big oil and gas companies.
“Mr. Speaker, Republicans have long been the handmaidens and apologists for big oil companies. It is long past time for the Republicans to act in the interests of the American people, not against them.
“I urge my colleagues to vote for the Stupak-Herseth motion to recommit, so we can end price gouging and so we can lower oil prices. Our nation is watching and expecting action now.”
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
