Cantor On National Energy Tax

Statement

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement on H.R. 2454, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Cap-and-Tax bill:

"The Democrats' Cap-and-Tax bill is the wrong bill at the wrong time for all Americans. While families and small businesses are struggling, Speaker Pelosi ignored the trepidation of moderates in her own party and rammed through a crippling national energy tax. After a year of higher electric bills, gas prices, and food costs, Americans will remember this vote in 2010.

"The American Energy Act, a comprehensive bill designed to ensure our energy independence, is a common-sense Republican solution to help families overcome the challenges they face. It is important that we diversify energy sources for both our economic and environmental security, and the American Energy Act shows that being conservative and green go hand in hand. Republicans are ready to work together on smart, focused policies designed to get America back to work and restore the financial security that so many families have lost. Yet, policies far outside the mainstream like the Speaker's cap and tax bill reinforce the extreme disconnect between Washington and the American people.

"A cap and tax bill will have devastating effects upon working families, particularly those in lower income households, by increasing costs by thousands of dollars. The impact on businesses and jobs is equally dismal, with studies showing that this legislation will cost millions of jobs at a time when families and workers are already facing tremendous challenges. This bill will kill jobs, not create them - and that is senseless."

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