Bilirakis Denounces Biden’s Self-Made Energy Crisis

Washington, DC:President Biden's radical policies have stymied America's energy independence and created a crisis. The national average price for a gallon of gas has climbed to its highest level since 2014 and is 66% higher than this time last year. Worse yet, home heating costs are projected to rise by as much as 54% for some American households this winter. "This is not a fluke," stated Congressman Gus Bilirakis, "But rather, a deliberate consequence resulting from the disastrous policies and actions of the Biden Administration." On his first day in office, President Biden destroyed 11,000 American jobs by canceling the Keystone Pipeline. He also paused new domestic oil and gas leases, which will cost 1 million American jobs and decrease GDP by $700 billion. These actions put America's energy security at risk, as U.S. oil imports from foreign sources are now expected to increase by 2 million barrels a day. In fact, through 2030, the U.S. is now expected to spend $500 billion more on energy from foreign suppliers. Instead of allowing American companies to increase domestic production and hire more U.S. workers, President Biden has embarrassed the U.S. by pleading with OPEC and Russia to increase global output to ease rising fuel prices. "The catastrophic path this administration has set us on must be reversed now! America needs to once again be in the driver's seat when it comes to our energy production. Just one year ago when fuel prices were the lowest they'd been in years, we were a net exporter of energy. The greatest nation on the face of the earth should never have to rely on Saudi Arabia or other nations hostile to us. We can unleash American energy, create American jobs, and lower prices at the pump by implementing the pro-growth, common sense polices of the previous administration," Bilirakis noted.

Instead of reversing course, Democrats in Congress are now doubling down on these crisis-causing strategies by pushing a multi-trillion dollar spending package, which includes a tax hike on fuel. The "Heat Your Home Tax" being advocated by Congressional Democrats is a job-killing provision that could eliminate as many as 90,000 American jobs. These plans would also authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to assess a $1,500 tax per ton of methane emissions on energy producers, processors, transmission, storage, import/export, and pipelines. ‘These actions further jeopardize our nation's energy security and will increase costs for consumers. This is a self-made crisis hurting American families and it is time to stop the pain," Congressman Bilirakis warned on the House Floor. To listen to the full speech by Congressman Bilirakis, click here.