North Shore Louisiana News

WASHINGTON, D.C. —On April 25, 2023 , House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) appeared on Fox Business Network’s The Bottom Line to slam attempts by Democrats and the Biden Administration to kneecap American domestic energy production as families wrestle with swelling energy prices. Leader Scalise also noted that many of the green energy alternatives touted by the Biden Administration, such as electric car batteries and solar panels, are expensive and put dollars in the pockets of the Chinese Communist Party. Leader Scalise also discussed House Republicans’ commitment to promoting fiscal responsibility in Washington.   

On the Biden Administration’s harmful Green New Deal policies:

“They don't believe in the markets and frankly, they don't care that it's the middle class and low-income families that are getting kneecapped and think about this: he's saying that the cost is coming down some with wind and solar. That's with hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. Oil and natural gas – and especially natural gas – for electricity has actually allowed us in America to bring down carbon emissions. 

“Why would he want to go and kneecap the very source of energy that's allowing America to lead the world in lower emissions? When all the countries that he gets on his private jet and flies around the globe – emitting all kinds of carbon going to in Europe – they're not meeting the Paris Accord agreements. 

“And so you would want to be emulating what America does because we do it cleaner than anywhere in the world. Instead, they want to wreck America's economy with these illegal regulations that are going to get thrown out in the courts. But it's crushing middle class families, and it shows the elitism – they're so out of touch with the real world. They are crushing middle class families with higher costs, and it's not going to achieve – look, China isn't abiding by any of this. China is the world's polluter, and they're letting China off the hook.”

On unproven, expensive green energy projects:

“Well, and you talked about it, it's literally lighting taxpayer dollars on fire, and anybody that doesn't believe it, go google Solyndra. Go look at what the taxpayers lost: hundreds of millions of dollars on a boondoggle that was John – it was not just John Kerry's brainchild, it was [President] Biden's brainchild when he was Vice President. The company went bankrupt in months and they burned through all that taxpayer cash and we never saw anything. 

“Let the market dictate this. I'm an all-of-the-above energy guy. Let's go and use all forms of energy. We need more oil, we need more natural gas, we need more nuclear power. But let wind and solar develop, but not with trillions in taxpayer subsidies. It's crushing middle-class families, and it's making our country less competitive to countries like China, who are literally – they're using coal – they're building a new coal plant every week and eating our lunch economically.”

On Democrats’ climate initiatives, which would cost trillions:

“You know, and by the way, there is no end to the taxpayer money that they will spend to try to go and run after this green agenda  – I call it a ‘red agenda’ – because all of the products, the solar panels – over 90 percent made in China – the car batteries, you know, everything is going to be an electric car, [and' they want to get rid of the combustion engine. All of those car batteries are made in China. They won't even let you mine critical minerals in America. We have a bill, the Lower Energy Costs Act, that would not only allow us to produce more energy in America, it would allow us to bring those critical minerals back here so that China's not doing it. 

“We emit like five, six, less times the amount of carbon to make those kinds of things that China does, but the Left, they wake up every day and they think America is the problem. They love beating up on America. They will never acknowledge that no place in the world does it cleaner or more efficient[ly] – in the world – than the United States. We need to make more things here. Not more in China, like these Green New Deal justice warriors want.”

On the Left’s climate hysteria:

“They have so much disdain for American workers. You know, you would think that the stalks are just coming out of the ground in Iowa when they're planting their corn because, you know, of climate change. John Kerry, by the way, is probably the largest emitter of carbon of anyone in the world. He's the climate justice warrior. He gets on private jets, flies to Europe, and they all hang out together telling you how you need to change your lifestyle and you need to drive a little Prius and wear your three masks and plug your car into a tree because you don't have real energy in America. 

“You know, he doesn't limit himself. Maybe we could solve some of the problems if we just kept him at home, living like everybody else [who] has to live by these rules. People are sick and tired of paying 50 percent more for gas, 30 percent more for household electricity, because these so-called fake climate justice warriors are wrecking America's economy. And Xi is benefiting. China's getting all the jobs. 

“Everybody sees what's going on, and they realized that's why the polling is turning away from them, because people have realized this is lunacy. These are the same people who in the ‘70s said, ‘We're going into an ice age.’ Then remember acid rain – every plan they have involves destruction to the planet and raising your taxes, and none of what they say ever comes true or works, but they want to keep doing more of it.”

On debt ceiling negotiations and curbing wasteful government spending:

“It's going well on our side. You know, look, our conference has worked really hard to lay out a plan to address the debt ceiling but also to address Washington's spending problem. Most Americans get that if you've maxed out your credit card, which [President] Biden has done without a controlled spending, you don't just give [President] Biden another credit card to max out. You talk about, as you're paying the minimum payment, how to stop getting into this problem. So we're going to roll forward this week as a plan that actually addresses the debt ceiling and addresses some of the crazy wasteful spending. 

“I mean, why are we paying people billions and billions of dollars a month not to work when every employer is looking for jobs? Why do we have all this COVID money still out there? Tens of billions of dollars unspent when COVID is over. The President even said it, yet he still wants to spend tens of billions more. 

“People are tired of seeing Washington waste money when inflation is really being driven by Washington spending. Let's get control over spending. Let Speaker McCarthy and [President] Biden sit at a table and negotiate. Even Democrats are finally starting to say that the President needs to sit down with Speaker McCarthy and negotiate. 

“You're going to see the House take the lead this week and pass a bill to address both the spending and the debt problem. And then let's see the Senate finally take some action. It's time for [Senator] Schumer and the senators to do their job and for [President] Biden to stop trying to run the clock out and create a crisis.” 

Original Source can be found here.