July 25, 2006

DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR ATTENTION TO NEAR-RECORD GAS PRICES

Washington, DC — Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer, Charles Schumer, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Ken Salazar today joined to call for action to help lower the near-record price of gas. In the last weeks, gas prices have continued to rise to new heights, now topping $3 a gallon nationally. With middle-class Americans struggling to afford the rising cost of American life on wages that are stagnant or falling, the Democrats called on the Republican Congress to put aside its pattern of inaction to help the American people.

A new report, released today by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, “Record High Gas Prices: Had Enough?” details the effect these rising prices are having across the country. From immediate pressures on families who have seen their transportation costs double, to long-term economic dangers such as an increased risk of recession and threats to continued economic growth, the effects of record gas prices cannot be ignored. Sadly, this Do Nothing Republican Congress has done just that, putting aside the interests of all Americans to lavish handouts and tax breaks on oil companies making record profits. A copy of the report is attached to this release.

“Americans are being tipped upside down at the gas pump and the Republicans are looking the other way,” said Senator Schumer. “All the while, Middle class families are struggling and worrying about how they are going to get work or if they can take the family on vacation. Talk is cheap, gas is not and we need to take real and swift action in order to give these families some relief.”

“We cannot sit by while families and businesses, already struggling in the Bush economy, are stretched to the breaking point by record gas prices. But this Administration and the Republican leadership in Congress refuse to acknowledge the problem and continue to put the interests of oil companies over the needs of working families. It’s time for Congress to act on real energy policy that will use America’s technological know-how to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and build a stronger economy by leading the world in the creation of new clean energy jobs,” said Senator Clinton.”

Said Senator Salazar, “It is clear we have to commit ourselves to a long term strategy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by increasing our energy efficiency and by developing alternative fuels that we can produce here at home, including ethanol and bio-diesel. Most notably, the Clean EDGE Act offered by Democrats earlier this year sets an aggressive goal: to reduce U.S. petroleum consumption by 6 million barrels a day in 2020—or 40 percent of America’s projected imports. Those that control the Senate floor and the Administration need to stop playing politics with our National Security and address our energy crisis.”

Democrats believe the Republican Congress cannot continue to do nothing in the face of such sky-high gas prices and a national addiction to oil, and have proposed the Clean EDGE Act, comprehensive legislation to address the current energy crisis. Last week, 41 Senate Democrats sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, urging him to ensure the Senate considers such a program in the 109th Congress. With so many Americans struggling to pay gas prices they simply cannot afford, it is time for a new direction.

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