OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Speaking at the National Press Club Engaged in a Q&A; Session
November 18, 2008

... WELCOME THAT CHALLENGE AND WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER TO EFFECT THE CHANGE THAT WAS VOTED FOR ON NOVEMBER 4TH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE] >> MR. HOYER, COULD YOU ARTAKE LATE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THE ENERGY OBJECTIVES FOR THE 111TH CONGRESS, AT LEAST IN THE HOUSE, AND IN PARTICULAR, WOULD YOU ADVOCATE OR SUPPORT A RESTORATION OF THE OFF-SHORE DRILLING BAN? >> I THINK FIRST OF ALL, OVERALL, I MENTIONED GLOBAL WARMING. OBVIOUSLY, I THINK THERE IS A CONSENSUS CERTAINLY IN OUR PARTY AND BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION THAT WE MUST ADDRESS THAT ISSUE, WE MUST ADDRESS IT IN A DECISIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND TO ADDRESS THE GLOBAL WARMING CRISIS THAT CONFRONTS US. AS YOU KNOW, CHAIRMAN DINGELL HAS PUT OUT, ALONG WITH RICH BOUCHER, A PROPOSAL. AS YOU KNOW, 115 DEMOCRATS, LED BY JAY ENSLEY AND OTHERS, HAVE PUT OUT ANOTHER PROPOSAL. THERE WILL BE EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS ON HOW TO EFFECT THE REDUCTIONS THAT WE SEEK, BOTH IN THE SHORT TERM AND TO THE HALF CENTURY MARK. SO I THINK WE WILL PROCEED ON THAT WITH, AS I SAID, DISPATCH. THERE IS NOT A TIME FRAME FOR THAT, BUT WE'LL PROCEED ON THAT. SECONDLY, WE WILL DEFEND THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED LAST YEAR AND THE ENERGY BILL AS WELCH AFFECTS A GREATER FISH -- GREATER EFFICIENCIES IN AUTOMOBILES. WE HAVE PROPOSED AND ADOPTED A LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM, AS YOU KNOW, OF $25 BILLION TO EFFECT THE RETOOLING OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY TO PROVIDE FOR EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGICALLY -- TECHNOLOGICALLY EFFICIENT AUTOMOBILES AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT, AND WE'LL WORK WITH OUR SENATE COLLEAGUES TO LOOK FORWARDS EXPANDING THE RELIANCE ON ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES, RENEWABLES AND ALTERNATIVES. WE BELIEVE IT IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO HAVE AN ENERGY POLICY WHICH IS, AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH, NOT DRIVEN BY THE TEMPORARY REDUCTION OF PRICES AT THE PUMP, WHICH ARE HARD TO EXPLAIN, HARD TO EXPLAIN HOW YOU GO DOWN ABOUT HALF WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND SPIKE UP IN THAT SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS WELL. NOW, AS IT RELATES TO THE MORATORIA, WHICH WAS NOT RENEWED, AS YOU KNOW, IN THE CONTINUING RECENTULATION WHICH WAS PASSED -- RESOLUTION WHICH WAS PASSED IN THE LATTER PART OF SEPTEMBER, I THINK THERE WILL BE EFFORTS TO LOOK AT FURTHER WAYS TO DELINEATE AREAS AVAILABLE FOR DRILLING. I DO NOT BELIEVE AT THIS POINT IN TIME THAT THERE ARE ANY PROPOSALS BEING MADE TO REINSTATE THE MORATORIA ACROSS THE BOARD. >> MR. HOYER, YOU'VE BEEN DEVOTED TO CONGRESS AND GOVERNMENT YOUR WHOLE LIFE. DESPITE THE MANY BIPARTISAN BILLS OF THE LAST CONGRESS AND THE POLLS NOW WITH HIGH SUPPORT AND HOPE FOR OBAMA, THOSE NUMBERS ARE THE OPPOSITE OF THE 12 TO 12 -- 23 PERCENT FAVORABLE RATINGS FOR CONGRESS, LOWER FOR BUSH AND LOWEST INISTRY. IF THE REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO OBINSTRUCT AND CLAIM ONE-PARTY RULE, WHICH IS PRETTY PREDICTABLE, WHAT CAN YOU AND THE LEADERSHIP DO TO RESTORE RESPECT FOR CONGRESS SO IT'S NOT JUST THE LEGISLATIVE GRINDER B. AN INSTITUTION RESPECTED BY AMERICANS? >> WELL, OF COURSE, LET ME FIRST OF ALL OBSERVE WHY I THINK THE NUMBERS FOR CONGRESS ARE SO LOW. THERE WAS OF COURSE A CONTRADICTION IN THE NUMBERS AS WELL. THOSE CONTRADICTIONS I'VE DISCUSSED WITH A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE PRESS. FIRST, THE NUMBERS ARE LOW FOR CONGRESS. SECONDLY, THE NUMBERS TO HAVE DEMOCRATS RUNNING THE CONGRESS WERE HIGH, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, IN THE POLLING DATA, PRIOR TO THE ELECTION. WE HAVE NOW DONE SOMETHING THAT'S HISTORIC, HASN'T BEEN DONE SINCE 1932, AND THAT IS EXPAND OUR MAJORITY IN TWO ELECTIONS -- AND TWO ELECTION NECESSARY A ROW TO NOW OVER 50 NEW MEMBERS IN THE LAST TWO ELECTIONS. THAT IS AN HISTORIC ACCOMPLISHMENT. WITH IT COMES AN HISTORIC RESPONSIBILITY. WE WILL RESTORE THE NUMBERS FOR CONGRESS GENERICALLY, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE GENERIC SUPPORT, THERE IS NOBODY GOING AROUND SAYING I LOVE THE CONGRESS, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, PEOPLE ARE INUNDATED IN EVERY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WITH ADS THAT SAY SPECIFICALLY THE OPPOSITE, I'M GOING IT ...