A Missed Opportunity

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY -- (House of Representatives - September 17, 2008)

Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we had a great opportunity to put forward a bipartisan approach to solve this Nation's energy problems. Unfortunately, we didn't do that. We had a bill that arrived at the last minute to us with very little time to look over and no attempt to make sure that it included the best ideas on how to solve this Nation's energy problems.

That opportunity was bypassed, and what we ended up with was a very narrowly banded bill that will not address this Nation's energy problems.

That is reprehensible. We need to make sure that we have that opportunity. We have a bill that passed out of here yesterday that has already been said by Democrats in the Senate that it's dead on arrival and that it's going to be vetoed by the President.

Why didn't this body take the opportunity to make sure that we adopted an energy policy that was going to be in the best long-term interest to this Nation, that had a chance of passing and that had a chance of making a difference in the gas prices of our men and women out there that their families have to deal with each and every day? That is reprehensible. We had a great opportunity yesterday that we missed, that we did not take advantage of, Mr. Speaker, and I tell you this Nation will suffer for it.

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