House Republicans Demand Energy and Health Care Alternatives

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service
Leading House Republicans warned that the Democrats health care agenda harms all Americans because it sacrifices millions of jobs while at the same time creating billions of dollars in tax hikes.

“The 852 pages of the Democrat health care plan,” Boehner said during a press conference Wednesday, “is a complete government takeover of our health care system, which is going to lead to higher taxes, rationing, and lower quality in our healthcare system.”

Health care is not the only concern of the Republicans. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) introduced the American Energy Act, an alternative to a cap-and-trade national energy tax, arguing “the president himself said that utility rates would quote ‘necessarily skyrocket’ . . . as utility rates rose that those would be passed along to consumers.”

At this point, House Republicans believe they are well positioned, claiming that the Democrats do not have enough votes to pass either their health care or energy agendas. Boehner said House Republicans are “encouraged” that their Senate colleagues are standing-up to this “bizarre notion” of a government run health care system.

Hoyer: Only President Hoover was worse

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) waded into presidential politics criticizing the Bush administration's policies as Republican are casting themselves of agents of change. "It's difficult to understand how somebody who voted with the administration 90 percent of the time can project themselves as an agent of change," he said in reference to Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. Hoyer criticized job growth saying , "It's been one of the slowest eight years in recent history. You'd have to go back to the Hoover administration to see worse..." He also compared the job growth numbers in the last eight months of the Clinton administration with those of the past year.

He said that a comprehensive energy bill in the House is a possibility in the upcoming week. The House Republicans have been clamoring for their "All of the Above" energy bill to be brought to the floor since the session adjourned in August. One of the principle complaints has been the moratorium of new oil and natural gas drilling offshore. Hoyer said that the Republicans have been passing moratorium language for the last eight years without striking it in conference.

Hoyer said he had spoken with the Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson about the government take over of the mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Hoyers said that he agreed that this action was a necessary one at this point and time.

"Madam Speaker, let our people go!"

"Let out people go," entreated Rep Joe Barton (R-Tex.) former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Barton was speaking at a press conference on the fifth day of Republican grandstanding in the House of Representative. Barton and Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who returned from his district for the event, called on the Democratic leadership to call the House back into session for debate on the American Energy Act, a bill which the Republicans call their "all of the above" energy solution. Minority leader John Boeher (R-Ohio) has called for this "revolt" to last up until the tart of the Democratic National Convention.

The members which included, Representatives Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Steve Scalise (R-La.) pointed out statements made by Democratic members of the House calling for a vote on energy legislation, particularly to for votes on expanded drilling measures. Blunt said that the group will be sending letters to every member of the Democratic caucus asking that they return from August recess to debate and vote on energy legislation.

The Republicans will get a vote on off shore drilling sooner or later, as the Congressional ban on offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf expires Sept. 30 of 2008. Blunt said that if the ban where to expire on that date "fuel prices will head back down October 1st." Blunt also said that threats of a government shutdown by opposing a continuing resolution were dependent on whether legislation to renew bans on off shore and oil shale drilling are included.

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) called the Democratic leadership the "very best friend OPEC has in the entire world," accusing House Democrats of funding "both sides" of the war on terror by standing in the way of opening up more U.S. territory for oil exploration.

House Republicans want to deliver “real change” for a “broken Washington”

House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) said in a pen and pad briefing that the focus this week for House Republicans has been on short and long term solutions to make energy more secure. He says Americans recognize that Washington, D.C. is “broken” because they are paying 1.50 dollars more than they were at the beginning of the 110th Congress.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the House will go on recess for Memorial Day without having completed a troop funding bill, a Columbia free trade bill, or a real plan to lower gas prices. He said that Republicans have been calling for an increase in domestic oil production for some time and for further interest into alternative fuels, such as biofuel and nuclear power. He feels that Americans believe that the United States can safely produce more oil.

Boehner said that General Petraeus had a good plan in Iraq, that the troops have done well, and that Iraqi troops have come a long way. He said Democrats have no choice but to admit “a lot of success” in Iraq. Putnam said that the Iraqi “hands on leadership style” brought factions together and might lead to broader participation in elections.

Putnam said Republican leadership has set a new standard on earmarks, and is holding the line on “ramping up” domestic spending. Boehner said the loss of three Republican seats in the House has helped the party learn how to set up for elections in the Fall. He said he is focusing on having successful elections in November, and does not have time to think about what will happen after the elections.