Providing for Consideration of H.R. Federal Reserve Racial and Economic Equity Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Recovering America's Wildlife Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from California for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the rule before us provides for consideration of three pieces of legislation that are, once again, missed opportunities to provide real relief to the American people.

Rather than working with Republicans to address the serious issues facing our Nation, Democrats again prioritize the interests of far-left special interest groups and their radical progressive base over the needs of American workers and American families.

Look no further than H.R. 2543, a compilation of 13 Committee on Financial Services' bills that prioritize woke policies and unnecessary reporting over actually fixing Biden's economic crisis.

As my friends across the aisle will remember, under President Trump, U.S. employment reached a 50-year low of 3.5 percent. Additionally, under President Trump, minority unemployment dropped to the lowest levels on record.

Compare that with the economy under the Democrats' one-party rule. Inflation is now at a 40-year high. Gas prices are now over $5 a gallon. Americans can expect to pay an extra $5,200 this year compared to last year for the same goods and services.

Once again, rather than just working with Republicans to provide real economic relief, the Democrats continue to double down on reckless spending, far-left policies, and have prioritized their Big Government socialism over free market principles. What has this led to?

It has led to economic instability. It threatens the stability of our Federal Reserve. It piles regulatory costs on small businesses. It emboldens unelected and unaccountable career bureaucrats.

Ultimately, H.R. 2543 will make it more difficult for low-income and minority borrowers to start a business, to buy a home, and to build credit. It actually does the opposite of the intended effect.

This will also provide for consideration of H.R. 7606, a bill that claims to lower food costs by appointing a ``special investigator,'' and this special investigator will investigate American meat packers and live poultry dealers.

Let's be clear, this legislation is a weak attempt to lay the blame for President Biden's economic crisis on American job creators. In reality, this is just another unfunded mandate that empowers Washington bureaucrats and places new burdens on American food producers.

Alarmingly, these compliance costs may actually raise the price of food even higher, making life in Joe Biden's America even harder on average American families.

Finally, this bill provides for consideration of H.R. 2773, the Recovering America's Wildlife Act of 2022. While I support conservation efforts, I am incredibly disappointed once again by the majority walking away from talks with Republicans to find offsets and to try to resolve spending concerns for the $1.34 billion in new annual mandatory spending authorized by this bill.

In fact, according to the CBO, this legislation spends $12.7 billion just in the first 10 years alone.

Madam Speaker, 80 percent of Americans say inflation is the most important issue facing this country. You wouldn't know it by looking at the bills Democrats are prioritizing for floor action this week.

Perhaps it is time that my Big Government, Democratic colleagues actually listen to the American people and work with Republicans on real economic solutions rather than doubling down on the out-of-control spending and reckless far-left policies that created Biden's economic crisis in the first place.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I hear about this being a global issue. It is a global issue, but the reason it is a global issue--quick economics lesson--we are still the reserve currency. We also are the largest GDP. We are exporting the inflation to other countries.

Let's be clear. The inflation is caused by Joe Biden's reckless, Big Government, socialist agenda and, unfortunately, the American people as well as the world have to deal with this recklessness.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), who is my good friend on the Rules Committee.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Americans are now paying an average of over $5 for a gallon of gas. This is the first time in history this has happened. Let me repeat that: over $5 for a gallon of gas.

The pain at the pump is a direct result of President Biden's and congressional Democrats' radical Green New Deal agenda and a war on American energy producers.

Let's just be blunt about something: the base of the Democratic Party--the bunch of woke yuppies sitting at home on Zooms all day-- don't care about gas prices. But if you are someone who has to swing a hammer for a living and drive to a jobsite, if you are a waitress at a diner and you have to drive to your shift, that affects you.

Republicans care about working families and working men and women. That is why we believe Americans deserve affordable, American-made energy. That is why if we defeat the previous question, I will personally offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, here to explain this amendment is my good friend and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Congressman Jeff Duncan from South Carolina.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from South Carolina an additional 30 seconds.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Democrats and their allies on the left can blame Putin all they want, and it is partially true that Putin's war in Ukraine is partially to blame. But gas prices have risen every month of this administration. Every month they were up a dollar a gallon before Putin even invaded Ukraine.

The real issue here is supply.

Why do we have the supply issue?

It is because Joe Biden on day number one canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. That dried up all capital investment into hydrocarbon infrastructure. Maybe it is a problem because we cannot get the oil and gas to refineries to make sure that we have a supply.

So what does Joe Biden do instead?

He blames everybody else. He goes to Venezuela and elsewhere, and begs them to produce more oil when just one administration before under President Trump, we were actually a net exporter of energy. Biden and House Democrats have created this mess, and the American people know that.

Are you ready for this fact, Madam Speaker?

The American people will also spend $5,000 this year on gas--$5,000 for the average American. That is a 78 percent increase from a year ago. In other words, Americans are spending over $2,000 extra a year on gas under Joe Biden.

Blame who you want, Madam Speaker, but every time an American looks up and sees $100-plus on that gas tank that he or she just filled up, they know who to blame--Joe Biden and Democrats.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).

Ms. VAN DUYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, to address U.S. energy security, the production of oil and gas, and the importation and exportation of oil and gas.

Gas prices have already topped $5 per gallon, and economists are predicting they will be $6 per gallon by August. Every American driver is paying nearly double since Biden took office, and the crisis is only getting worse.

This administration should have seen this coming. You can say what you want. You can blame whoever you want. This administration is failing to recognize that its policies have had a direct result on gas prices.

You don't block crucial pipelines. You don't block domestic infrastructure. You don't shut down drilling on Federal lands, declare war on the oil and gas industry, and become reliant on Russian oil and not expect prices to skyrocket and our global standing to weaken.

This administration is obviously not going to do anything but make this crisis worse, so this body must act.

The American Energy Independence from Russia Act will strengthen U.S. energy security, counter Russia, create American jobs, and protect domestic oil and gas dependency and production.

Republicans have proposed countless pragmatic bills, including the Strategy to Secure Offshore Energy Act, which I recently introduced. This directs the Department of the Interior to publish the next 5-year plan for offshore oil and gas lease sales.

We must hold this administration accountable as they continue to throw their hands up and blame everyone else for the energy crisis that they created. This bill will help provide the certainty necessary for continued investment in offshore production and support our domestic energy security.

In my colleague's home State of California, gas has reached $9.60 a gallon. Surely, we can all agree that that is unconscionable and must be addressed.

Madam Speaker, I urge opposition to the previous question so that we can pass needed legislation to put us back on course to unlocking American energy independence.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, just some quick facts. As Mr. Duncan stated, House Democrats have blocked consideration of legislation to unleash America's energy independence six times. Six times we have been down this road, and House Democrats have blocked it.

Gas prices have gone up 49 cents since the last time Republicans asked Democrats to bring this bill to the floor. Here we are again.

To talk more about this issue, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), my friend and a former police officer.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to my good friend to close.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I still find it somewhat amusing that my friends across the aisle continue to blame all this on foreign nations and their actions.

Let me give a quick history lesson on how President Joe Biden and Democrats actually caused this crisis.

Number one, day number one, Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline.

Number two, he emboldened Putin with Nord Stream 2. I would actually argue he emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine when he recklessly pulled us out of Afghanistan, which served zero military purpose. But I digress.

Additionally, Joe Biden suspended oil and gas leasing on Federal lands. He delayed permits for energy and infrastructure pipelines. He drained the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He revoked permits for critical mineral projects. He canceled oil leases in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

What has this done to gas prices? Well, in California, gas prices are now $9 a gallon.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I am prepared to close.

I yield myself the balance of my time and remind everybody that, in Joe Biden's America, gas prices are averaging more than $5 a gallon; inflation is at a 40-year high; and real wages have decreased 10 out of the last 12 months.

Yet, with today's rule, House Democrats are doubling down on far- left, radical policies, really failed policies, that created Joe Biden's economic crisis in the first place.

It is well past time that the Biden administration and congressional Democrats admit that they are to blame for the economic pain families are facing and workers are facing, and work with Republicans on solutions to immediately help the American people.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source