Do House Dems Agree with Senior Democrat on Forcing Gas Prices Even Higher?
May 26, 2011
FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-04), John Barrow (GA-12), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Dan Boren (OK-02), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Jim Costa (CA-20), Mark Critz (PA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Joe Donnelly (IN-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Martin Heinrich (NM-01), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Tim Holden (PA-17), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Jay Inslee (WA-01), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-10), Dale Kildee (MI-05), Ron Kind (WI-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Brad Miller (NC-13), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Mike Ross (AR-04), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Heath Shuler (NC-11), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-13), John Tierney (MA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-05), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), Anthony Weiner (NY-09), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
Does Owens Agree with Senior Democrat on Forcing Gas Prices Even Higher?
Senior House Democrat Says Gas Taxes Are Too Low As New York Families Continue to Feel Pain at the Pump
Washington — Although families in New York are still struggling with nearly record prices at the pump, Bill Owens’ Democrat leaders continue to push for remarkably out-of-touch and increasingly desperate ways to protect their Democrat spending and borrowing spree. Even though skyrocketing gas prices are crushing family budgets and small businesses, will Owens join his fellow Democrats in taxing gas more just to continue their addiction to spending and borrowing?
“Just when Bill Owens’ fellow Democrats appeared to be out of ideas for new taxes to raise, along comes another one of their proposals to make the price of gas even higher,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “As middle-class families and small businesses in New York continue to struggle with pain at the pump under near-record gas prices, will Owens join his Democrat leaders in trying to take even more of their hard-earned money?”
The leading Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee declared that he thinks gas taxes are too low and should be raised in spite of near-record prices:
“Rep. Nick Rahall (W.Va.), the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said President Obama should be more specific about how he plans to fund a long-term transportation spending bill, and that raising the gas tax should be one of the options. ‘We’ve not had an increase in the gas tax since 1993,’ Rahall said Tuesday during a speech at the Transportation Construction Coalition’s 10th annual Washington fly-in.” (Keith Laing, “Key Dem says higher gas tax should be on the table for highways,”
The Hill‘s
Transportation Report Blog, 5/24/11)
This comes at a time when the economy is especially hard-hit from high gas prices:
“In prepared remarks at a financial education conference in Boston, [Federal Reserve governor Elizabeth] Duke said higher gasoline prices were forcing many consumers to make tough choices, given their limited budgets. ‘Family incomes have not kept pace with rising costs and many families, particularly those with low-to-moderate incomes, are actually facing the decision between buying gas to drive long distances to work and paying their mortgage,’ Duke said.” (Luca Di Leo, “Fed’s Duke Paints Grim Picture for U.S. Consumers,”
The Wall Street Journal‘s
Real Time Economics Blog, 5/24/11)
As New York families and small businesses continue to feel the pain at the pump, Bill Owens’ fellow Democrats want to raise gas taxes even more. Will Owens join his Democrat leaders in protecting their spending and borrowing spree by raising gas taxes even higher?
Do House Dems Agree with Senior Democrat on Forcing Gas Prices Even Higher? http://ow.ly/53wOo #madeinwdc
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