Families Pay the Price for the Same Old Song and Dance

Democrat Sideshows and Empty Promises Aren’t Reducing Gas Prices

Gas prices continued to remain near $4/gallon over the weekend, and news reports confirmed that months of high gas prices are contributing to economy-wide inflation:

NATIONAL GAS PRICE AVERAGE: $3.96/gallon.(“Daily Fuel Gauge Report,” AAA,Accessed 5/15/2011)

INFLATION “ACCELERATED TO ITS FASTEST PACE IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS” LAST MONTH: “Inflation accelerated to its fastest annual pace in two and a half years in April, as surging gas prices continued to hit American consumers.

“The Consumer Price Index, the government’s key inflation measure, rose 3.2% over the last 12 months ended April 30, according to Friday’s report from the Labor Department. It was the biggest 12-month jump since October 2008.

“Gas prices alone surged 3.3% in April, and are up 33.1% over the past year.

“Meanwhile, food prices rose 0.4% during the month, or 3.2% over the last 12 months.” (Annalyn Censky, “Inflation Rises at Fastest Rate Since October 2008,” CNN Money, 5/13/2011)

Instead of supporting efforts to help reduce gas prices by increasing American-made energy, Senate Democrats held a tax hike sideshow last Thursday attacking energy producers. But by their own admission, the tax hikes they were pushing would do nothing to reduce gas prices:

AP: “NO SENATOR BOTHERED TO PRETEND IT WAS ABOUT MAKING GAS PRICES MORE AFFORDABLE”: “The hearing was for verbally flogging oil company CEOs, and no senator bothered to pretend it was about making gasoline prices more affordable or helping the economy recover.” (Laurie Kellman and Stephen Ohlemacher, “Props Aplenty in Senate Show on Big Oil Tax Breaks,” Associated Press, 5/13/2011)

SENATE FINANCE CHAIRMAN MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “ ‘This is not going to change the price at the gas pump,’ Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus admitted as he gaveled the proceedings to a close.” (Laurie Kellman and Stephen Ohlemacher, “Props Aplenty in Senate Show on Big Oil Tax Breaks,” Associated Press, 5/13/2011)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “This was never intended to talk about lowering prices.” (Remarks from Sen. Chuck Schumer, CNN, 5/11/2011)

SEN. MENENDEZ (D-NJ): “The bill, Democrats stressed, is not meant to reduce gas prices. ‘Nobody has made the claim that this bill is about reducing gas prices,’ Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said.” (Andrew Restuccia, “McCaskill: Savings From Cutting Oil Tax Breaks Should Be For Deficit Reduction,” The Hill’s “E2 Wire” Blog, 5/10/2011)

By contrast, House Republicans passed multiple measures to encourage more American-made energy and increase domestic oil production over the past few weeks.

Democrats widely opposed those measures in the House, and now, President Obama’s EPA is accusing Republicans of “threaten[ing] public health” by requiring the administration to make decisions on permit applications rather than delaying them indefinitely:

170 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST MORE AMERICAN-MADE ENERGY: Final Roll Call Vote: 243-179. (Roll Call Vote 320, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/12/2011)

163 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST PUTTING THE GULF OF MEXICO BACK TO WORK: Final Roll Call Vote: 263-163. (Roll Call Vote 309, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/11/2011)

Desperate to provide cover for his fellow Democrats, President Obama now says he’ll move forward with Republican proposals to create more American-made energy. Too bad then that his own EPA said that a  sensible Republican proposal to speed up the drilling permit process “threatens public health.”

OBAMA SAYS HE’S TAKING GOP PROPOSAL TO DRILL: “President Barack Obama is looking to bolster U.S. oil drilling, announcing Saturday a preemptive strike against bolder efforts from Capitol Hill as consumer unrest deepens over the price at the pump.

“The White House will move forward without congressional action on a set of ideas espoused by Republicans and oil-state Democrats to expand oil-and-gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and potentially parts of the Atlantic seaboard.” (Darren Goode, “Barack Obama moves to expand oil and gas drilling,” Politico, 5/14/2011)

BUT WAIT … OBAMA’S EPA SAYS GOP ENERGY PERMITTING EFFORT “THREATENS PUBLIC HEALTH”: “The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) top air-quality official is criticizing a GOP-backed plan to speed up pollution permits for oil companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, that hope to drill off Alaska’s coast. …

“Shell has faced years-long delays obtaining EPA and Interior Department approval for planned exploratory drilling in Arctic waters.” (Ben Geman, “EPA: House Offshore Oil Permitting Plan Threatens Public Health,” The Hill, 5/13/2011)

By the way, haven’t we heard these promises before from Obama? When will Democrats get serious about creating more American-made energy to help reduce gas prices?

2010 FLASHBACK — OBAMA CLAIMS WE’RE GOING TO DRILL:  “The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.” (John M. Broder, “Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time,” The New York Times, 3/31/2010)