Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement after President Obama used the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a jumping off point to push for a National Energy Tax in a speech in Pittsburgh, PA today.

“Instead of devoting every possible resource to getting the Gulf cleaned up, the Obama administration is once again using a crisis to push its job-killing agenda,” said Congressman Price. “First they used an economic crisis as an excuse to spend hundreds of billions on favored programs and special interests without stimulating robust job growth. Now the White House is taking the same tack with the oil spill. The President seems to think American ingenuity cannot produce 21st Century energy solutions unless Washington raises the cost of everything Americans buy with a National Energy Tax. Does the President honestly believe that crippling our already fragile economy is good energy policy?

“To protect America’s national security and economic prosperity, we must promote the responsible use of all our potential energy sources. Republicans have an ‘all-you-can-create’ strategy to provide for the country’s energy needs without compromising our economic or national security. Until President Obama acknowledges the failures of his economic and energy agenda and puts to rest the baseless partisan attacks that have become the hallmark of his many frequent speeches, the American people will continue to look elsewhere for real leadership.”

Note: The RSC and the Western Caucus have introduced H.R. 2828, the American Energy Innovation Act. This “all-you-can-create” energy legislation represents a fiscally responsible approach to reducing our dependence on foreign energy, providing a cleaner environment, and putting Americans to work through increased innovation, conservation, and production of American energy.