Allowing Election Year Politics to Dictate Policy is No Way to Govern

Floor Speech

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, since this administration took office, the price of gasoline has more than doubled. In January of 2009, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline was $1.79. Today, that same gallon of gasoline will set you back $3.84. Yet this administration continues to let election-year politics dictate policy.

Since 2010, I have led the charge at fighting President Obama's assault on offshore drilling. The moratorium, a knee-jerk reaction by Washington liberals, harmed many local oil and gas producers on the Gulf Coast. According to a recent study conducted by the Louisiana State University, the moratorium resulted in the loss of 8,000 Gulf State jobs and $487 million in lost wages. And to make matters worse, the administration continues to push higher taxes on American independent energy producers, leading to higher costs and higher unemployment rates.

The past 3 years were marred with poor decisions relating to domestic energy production, with consequences falling directly on south Louisiana families. Now is the time to promote sensible energy policies that put Americans back to work while fully utilizing the resources we have right here at home.

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