Incumbent Once Again Exposed For Election-Cycle Political Posturing
After weeks of election-cycle political posturing – and just one day after voting to raise energy taxes while Michiganders suffer from $4-a-gallon gas – liberal U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) voted today against a measure that is actually aimed at combating high gas prices for Michigan families and small businesses, while creating thousands of new American jobs.
Just yesterday, after weeks of grandstanding, Stabenow and the liberal wing of the Democrat party attempted to ram through an admittedly unconstitutional scheme to raise energy taxes while Michiganders struggle to afford near-record-high gas. The non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that Stabenow and the Democrats’ proposed energy tax hikes would “make oil and natural gas more expensive for U.S. consumers and likely increase foreign dependence,” and thankfully, a bi-partisan Senate majority rose to defeat Stabenow’s price-raising, job-killing tax hikes.
Stabenow’s opposition to the Offshore Production & Safety Act Of 2011 – which would restore American offshore energy production, improve safety and require bureaucrats to process permits efficiently – makes this the second vote in as many days where Stabenow has put her own political concerns before her constituents’ interests.
“Despite Senator Stabenow’s misleading rhetoric, this is actually very simple: with gas prices at $4-a-gallon, Stabenow voted for tax hikes that would raise Michiganders’ energy costs, and against this commonsense measure to increase American energy production and create much-needed jobs,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “Instead of helping Michiganders, Stabenow has spent weeks trying to fundraise and score cheap political points from this energy crisis.”
Background Information:
U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “S. 953 would be an important step towards addressing domestic energy production. The bill would bring a much-needed end to the de facto moratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration and could create tens of thousands of jobs, many for American oil and gas employees who have lost their jobs due to the moratorium. Moreover, the legislation would expand opportunities for firms to produce more energy in the U.S. in an environmentally responsible manner. The Chamber supported similar legislation that was approved in the House with bipartisan support. … The Chamber urges the Senate focus on the relevant issue—a long term plan to expand domestic energy production and to authorize a long term, balanced, comprehensive energy policy. S. 953 is an important step towards this goal.” (U.S. Chamber Of Commerce, Letter To U.S. Senators, 5/17/11)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS: “[T]he legislation will open more areas in the OCS for drilling which will expand the ability to explore and develop our domestic sources of energy more effectively. Increasing access to domestic sources of reliable energy, both onshore and offshore, is essential to the long-term health of American manufacturing. While investments in new energy sources and efforts to boost efficiency gains play critical roles in meeting our nation’s future energy demands we cannot ignore the critical need to develop and utilize our domestic sources of energy.” (National Association Of Manufacturers, Letter To U.S. Senators, 5/18/11)
Stabenow’s Fellow Washington Democrats Admit Their Attempts To Raise Taxes on Energy Companies Would Not Lower Gas Prices
SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “You know, this is not going to change the price at the gasoline pump. That’s not the issue. I don’t see that as an issue at all. The issue I see is who shares.” (U.S. Senate, Finance Committee, Hearing, 5/12/11)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “This was never intended to talk about lowering prices.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 5/11/11)
SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-NJ): “Nobody has made the claim that this bill is about reducing gas prices.” (“McCaskill: Savings From Cutting Oil Tax Breaks Should Be For Deficit Reduction,” The Hill’s E2 Wire Blog, 5/10/11)
Non-Partisan CRS: Dem Tax Hikes “Would Make Oil And Natural Gas More Expensive For U.S. Customers”:
CRS: Tax changes outlined in the President’s budget proposal “would make oil and natural gas more expensive for U.S. consumers and likely increase foreign dependence.” (“Oil And Natural Gas Industry Tax Issues In The FY2012 Budget Proposal,” Congressional Research Service, 3/3/11)
DEM SENATOR: “It Will Actually Hurt Job Production In The United States”:
“When it comes up for a vote in the Senate sometime in the next week, its chances of passing seem slim to none because not only is it going to run up against widespread Republican opposition, it won’t even have the support of all 53 Democrats.” (“The Skunks At The Garden Party,” ABC News, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “Laughable.” “You ask me can I vote for a bill like this. No. Not only can I not vote for it, it’s laughable.” (Sen. Landrieu, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): “A gimmick.” “You’re right, this piece of legislation they put down without really a committee process on it is a gimmick, a gimmick to get the next week of activity, and get some press out there.” (Sen. Begich, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “It will not reduce gasoline prices by one penny.” “I would just like to add my strong voice to urging my colleagues to read this bill, to look at it and understand the inherent unfairness in it, the lack of significant deficit reduction, and the fact that it will not, although it is being touted as, it will not reduce gasoline prices by one penny.” (Sen. Landrieu, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): “It won’t decrease prices at the pump.” “There is a lot of talk right now about ending tax incentives for oil and gas industry, but the high profits right now of these companies are easy targets. But one thing Alaskans know, just because you have an easy target doesn’t mean it is the right thing to shoot. It won’t decrease prices at the pump for our families and small businesses. It will discourage companies, especially the independents, from domestic investment and job creation.” (Sen. Begich, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): “Will it create jobs? No. It will actually hurt job production in the United States.” “Why are we singling out one sector of one energy – you know, one part of the energy industry to repeal the subsidies when it will in fact have the opposite effect of reducing gasoline prices, which even its sponsors, one of its cosponsors said publicly for us not to be fooled. This will not reduce gasoline prices. So why are we doing it? Will it create jobs? No. It will actually hurt job production in the United States.” (Sen. Landrieu, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): “The bureaucrats in [President Obama’s] administration are not listening. They are not – they are tossing up barriers in additional Alaskan oil and gas production every chance they get. Sadly, some of my colleagues in this body are not much better. Instead of addressing the problem with specific solutions, they are going for headlines by dragging energy company executives before committees or promising the roadblocks — or proposing that roadblock incentives for increased domestic energy consumption, some of which have been on the books for decade. Let’s stop the headline-grabbing and get serious about the energy security.” (Sen. Begich, Floor Remarks, 5/11/11)
