Rep. Roscoe Bartlett among 51 Republicans Who Urge Pelosi/Reid to Stick to Finishing Basics During Lame Duck Session
Letter Specifically Opposes Consideration of Cap-and-Trade
Washington,
Oct 8 -
Congressman Roscoe Bartlett is among 51 Republican House Members who wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opposing consideration of cap-and-trade legislation during the forthcoming lame duck session of Congress scheduled for the weeks of November 15 and 29. The members wrote, "With the exception of a national emergency, to wait until a lame duck session to pass substantive legislation that will affect the life of every American does great damage to the integrity of our constitutional republic."
Congressman Bartlett said, "The Democratic majority in the Congress failed at the very basics of governing this year. The Democratic majority in the Congress failed to approve a budget plan. The Democratic majority in the Congress failed to approve any of the 12 appropriations budget bills. The Democratic majority in the Congress failed to approve a National Defense Authorization bill to update our national defense policies while we're at war. The Democratic majority in the Congress failed to act to prevent scheduled income tax increases on American workers and businesses in 2011. So much of the basic work of Congress must be done after the elections in a lame duck session, Americans shouldn't have to be afraid of Congress ramming through other legislation as well."
TEXT OF THE LETTER IS BELOW.
Dear Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi,
As we look ahead to a “lame duck” session of Congress this year, we write to ask that as you craft the legislative agenda you not include controversial cap-and-trade legislation, or similar legislation, that would burden American consumers with a National Energy Tax. News reports suggesting the possibility of a lame duck consideration of such controversial and far-reaching legislation is highly troubling. We ask that you commit to Members of Congress and to the American public that this approach will not be pursued.
Both the House and Senate have acted on cap-and-trade bills. As you are aware, the House of Representatives narrowly passed H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 in May of 2009 by a razor-thin margin of 219-212. Comparable legislation in the Senate, S.1733, Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, was reported out of the Committee on Environment and Public Works on February 2, 2010. Similar bills and discussion drafts have also made news headlines. There has been more than significant time to consider these proposals under regular procedures. While the future of these proposals is uncertain, and it is expected that the House and Senate would need to reconcile differences among these or other energy proposals, such deliberations must be conducted in a transparent, orderly process and with the highest regard to the views of our constituents as expressed in our elections.
The timing of enacting cap-and-trade legislation in the foreseeable future is also ill advised in light of our ongoing economic problems. As unemployment persists at around 10 percent, it makes little sense to artificially increase utility and energy prices and force greater economic hardship directly on American families. Furthermore, the increase in energy costs will be distributed across numerous other sectors of the economy, which will kill jobs, stifle our economic growth, and hamper international competitiveness. A weaker economy in turn compounds our public debt crisis, which has surpassed an epic $13 trillion.
To be sure, the legislative process is cumbersome, but it is designed to safeguard the liberty of the people whom we represent and to whom we are accountable. With the exception of a national emergency, to wait until a lame duck session to pass substantive legislation that will affect the life of every American does great damage to the integrity of our constitutional republic.
Sincerely,
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