Senators Hassan, Bennet, and Kelly choose higher home and energy costs over the interests of their constituents.
Washington, D.C. – Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that deep blue cities “including San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and New York, have enacted or proposed measures to ban or discourage the use of natural gas in new homes and buildings.” Massachusetts – the neighboring state of New Hampshire Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan – “is emerging as a key battleground in the U.S. fight over whether to phase out natural gas for home cooking and heating, with fears of unknown costs and unfamiliar technologies.”
- THE PROBLEM: In cities like Denver – home to Colorado Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet – homes that are forced to be built without natural gas “may cost at least $11,000 more than ones that use gas,” according to a recent study.
- THE SOLUTION: States like Arizona – home to Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly – have passed “laws outlawing such municipal prohibitions in their states before they can spread, arguing that they are overly restrictive and costly.”
That’s why Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso offered a simple amendment to bipartisan infrastructure legislation on Monday “that would have prohibited funding for local building code updates that phase out natural gas heating and appliances.” Unfortunately, all Senate Democrats – including Senators Hassan, Bennet, and Kelly – voted against this measure that would protect American consumers and boost American energy.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise: the agenda of Joe Biden and Senate Democrats has always been anti-consumer (with their inflation-inducing binge spending plans) and anti-American energy (with their cancelation of fracking and energy infrastructure like Keystone).
Statement from NRSC Spokesman T.W. Arrighi: “Democrats had an opportunity to join Senate Republicans to protect American consumers and promote American energy. Instead, Senators like Maggie Hassan, Michael Bennet, and Mark Kelly turned their backs on their constituents, leaving them exposed to higher home and energy costs by voting against Senator John Barrasso’s commonsense legislation. As Americans struggle with higher inflation and skyrocketing gas prices back home, Senators Hassan, Bennet and Kelly are kowtowing to their far-left, socialist leaders who are demanding more wasteful spending and less American energy, both of which will harm families across the country.”
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