WASHINGTON, DC —  Thursday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Member August Pfluger (TX-11) spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act. 

Watch his remarks here, or read highlights and excerpts below:

“I rise on behalf of the two million hardworking Texans, and ten million Americans in the energy industry that the President has told: your job doesn't matter, putting food on the table doesn't matter, your mortgage payments and grocery bills don't matter.

“The President campaigned on a promise to end fossil fuels, and he has pushed his failed policies from day one—including the cancellation of Keystone XL Pipeline and telling ten million workers who provide the energy our nation desperately needs that he doesn't want them to produce. In fact, not only does he not want them to produce, he is going overseas begging global oil cartels for more energy.

“These policies are completely disconnected from reality. We are now facing rolling blackouts where families in the middle of the night may not have energy. In places like California, that is standard practice.

“Where are my colleagues that believe in affordable reliable energy? Where are my colleagues who want to ease the burden of inflation that the President has caused? This Republican majority is in touch with the reality that every family is facing choices—and it starts with energy.

“I am proud to work alongside Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers to restore energy security. President Biden’s use of the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve) for his own “political emergencies” is unacceptable. We are now standing up to return the SPR to its rightful use for national security emergencies—not fabricated political emergencies.

“It's time for the President to join us in using the SPR for what it was designed to be used for. It's a shame that my Democrat colleagues will not stand up for a national security imperative. We must let our producers do what they do best and keep the government out of it.”