Jeff Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 7637.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7637, the Refrigerator Freedom Act, and I thank Congresswoman Miller-Meeks for leading these efforts. Mr. Speaker, throughout this Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee has heard time after time how this administration has prioritized a radical climate agenda over the needs of everyday Americans. If you listen to the last debate, you will see a lot of that. The fact is, the American people cannot afford President Biden's energy policies. They are expensive, they are unreliable, and they are diminishing the quality of life for folks across the country. House Republicans are tired of this administration trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people. We are tired of them putting the interests of the climate lobby over those of hardworking Americans. The Biden administration's obsession with rationing our abundant energy is reducing the quality of life for Americans. They are making it more difficult and more expensive for you to cook your food, heat your homes, and all the other things that we talked about over the last number of debates on these issues. With record-high inflation, out-of-control utility bills, and unaffordable home prices, the Biden administration's efficiency regulations will make household appliances more expensive. That is just the bottom line. The Department of Energy's proposed standards for refrigerators and freezers yield nearly nonexistent savings. The life cycle cost savings for these products is only 3 cents over the course of 9.3 years. Thanks to the Biden administration, Americans will spend 34 percent more on appliances today than they did just a decade ago. These appliances are not only more expensive, they are of lesser quality and include fewer features that Americans rely on, and they have a shorter lifespan. These efficiency standards reflect just how out of touch the Biden administration is with everyday Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. This legislation will prevent the DOE from enforcing standards for refrigerators and freezers unless they are: technologically feasible and economically justified; are not likely to result in additional cost to the consumer; and will result in a significant conservation of energy. This bill will protect affordability, quality, and choice for Americans, for the refrigerators and freezers they buy. It puts the interests of Americans first. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7637, the Refrigerator Freedom Act, and I thank Representative Miller-Meeks for leading this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have a company in my district that makes refrigerators. The R&D, research and development, that go into designing a refrigerator is mind-boggling to me. I thought refrigeration was pretty simple, but they optimize where the milk is stored and where the meat goes and hot spots in the refrigerator to make sure that temperatures are consistent and foods remain fresh for a longer period of time, not because some government mandate said that that refrigerators need to be more efficient but because the market demands it. If the market demands it and they can provide that to meet the market challenge, then they will end up with more market share. That means more units sold, and this company rolls a new refrigerator off the line every 4 seconds. It is crazy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), who is a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and also chair of the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the funny thing is, if manufacturers wanted to make a more efficient appliance, they could, and I would tell them to go for it. The manufacturing alliance and all the trade groups that were mentioned don't need something from the government to tell them to do something more efficient. If they think there is a market for it or they think that they have some desire to be more efficient, they can do it. They don't need the government to tell them to do it. The way government operates around here, especially under a Democratic administration, is that they are coming up with a solution that is looking for a problem. If a problem doesn't exist, they create one, and they create a regulation to manage it and grow government. Ronald Reagan, talking about Democratic government, said that their solution is: ``I am from the government, and I am here to help.'' Democrats continue to want to throw more money at problems that they see. The gentlewoman from Florida went through a whole litany of things the Democrats would focus on, but do you know what, America? She left the border out of that. Over 16 million people have crossed the border. That wasn't on her list. She wasn't talking about lowering interest rates on mortgages so people can actually buy their first home. Right now, they can't because it is out of reach. It is unaffordable. She didn't talk about lowering prices at the grocery store or Walmart or anywhere else you shop because the Biden administration's inflationary practices have driven up costs everywhere on everything since day one of the administration, from energy costs to food and other items that you purchase. I kind of chuckled at her little sign there, but I am reminded of Will Rogers. He was talking about government spending, I think, but he said that really the only time the taxpayer is safe is when Congress isn't in session because Congress seems to muck it up by growing government and wanting to tax to get money to feed that growing government. Will Rogers was probably right. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), the author of this legislation.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional Members on our side of the aisle, and I am ready to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I will say it again. Enacted in 1975, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act provides specific criteria for DOE to follow in order to propose a new appliance efficiency standard. They may only propose a new standard if it results in a significant conservation of energy, is technologically feasible, and is economically justified. The new regulations are not economically justified, they are not necessarily technologically feasible, and there is not a significant conservation of energy. The Biden administration has consistently ignored these requirements by proposing and finalizing standards that violate this statute. The gentleman from New Jersey is younger than I am, but I grew up during the seventies' energy crisis. I was being flattering. I don't know how old Frank is, but we both grew up during the seventies' energy crisis, and we did some things around the house that my dad mandated. They weren't government mandates. When you left the house in the summertime, you turned the thermostat up so the air wouldn't run at whatever temperature you wanted it, 72, 70, whatever, when nobody was home. We combined trips to the store so that you would go by the gas station and by the grocery store and other stops and make one trip versus going in and out. He ingrained in me to cut the lights off, much to the chagrin of my children and what I have tried to teach them. When you leave the room, you flip the switch off, so the lights weren't on when you weren't there. I will say this: The agencies in Washington, D.C., could learn a lesson from that. When I ride down Independence Avenue at night, all the lights are on at the Department of Energy, and I know most of the employees are gone. In the wintertime, we turned the thermostat down, and we put something warmer on. I grew up poor. Not poor poor; we lived on a mill hill, a textile community, when I was little. These were dad mandates. These weren't government mandates. Now we see the government really becoming Big Brother. There are State governments, in most instances, which tell you where you can set your thermostat, when you can water your yard, and when you can charge your EV. Big Brother is telling you to do more and more things, telling you what kind of car you can drive by really pushing EV mandates down on America when the consumer choice isn't that. We are seeing that kind of reverse trend in this country and the demand rise for traditional gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. Here again, we see a government mandate telling manufacturers you have to create an appliance that is inefficient. It is going to cost the consumer more money on the front end, and it will take them a lot longer to pay it back for an appliance that is usually worn out before they have gotten the repayment back. My dad taught us not to stand there with the refrigerator door open. In fact, smart refrigerators, I think, ding now if you hold the door open too long because it loses that coolness. It creates inefficiency. I don't think that was a government mandate either. I think that was technology the industry came up with. We don't need more Big Government. We don't need more government regulation like this. It is going to cost the consumers more money and affect their quality of life. This is simple legislation just to push back against this administration and the mandates that the American public does not need and will lower their quality of life, their standard of living, cost them more money, and will not yield the cost savings that will be mandated. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for actually holding this Special Order to talk about what happened in 2017. One year ago tomorrow marks the day we had baseball practice right before the game. It was the day before the game, and Ron DeSantis, now Governor of Florida, the Representative from that State, rode to practice with me. That morning, we were on the field. I was starting shortstop. Ron was starting third baseman. As we did at every practice, we had infield practice and then we had batting practice. During batting practice, many of us were out there shagging balls. Ron was standing at third, I was standing at shortstop, and Ron said: ``When are you thinking about leaving, Jeff?'' He said: ``I have got a meeting I can get to if we could head on.'' I said: ``Well, you have done infield and batting practice, and I have.'' Chairman Mike Conaway from Texas was in the batting cage batting, and I said: ``Let's let Chairman Conaway finish, and then we can go.'' Conaway finished. We ran off the field. I ran around the pitcher's mound. Steve Scalise was at second base. I fist-bumped Steve as I went off the field and went to the dugout. Tom Rooney was at first base. Tom said: ``Duncan, what time is it?'' I got my bag. I had a bag that I kept keys, phone and all that in. I came out told him what time it was. Tom had to leave, so he left, and he was the first one out of the gate. Ron DeSantis went off the field, and then I went off the field. Out in the parking lot, I was stopped by a gentleman who said: ``Excuse me. Can you tell me who is practicing today, Republicans or Democrats?'' I said: ``This is the Republican team practicing.'' He said: ``Thank you.'' It turned out that was a shooter. I was face-to-face with him for a brief interlude before he left the parking lot to go into his van by the YMCA and load his weapons and get prepared to fire about 137 rounds at my colleagues who I left on the baseball field that morning as I drove back to the Capitol. There were a lot of God winks in that event that morning. I can't thank anyone but my Lord and Savior for getting me off that field and away from danger. I would have been standing at shortstop. Ron DeSantis would have been at third base. Trent Kelly was the third baseman after Ron left. The first shot was fired at Trent and hit a chain link fence. One-eighth of an inch definitely saved Trent's life. It rattled the gentleman, and I think it made him erratic and start shooting my colleagues, spraying bullets across the field that hit Steve Scalise, Zack Barth, and Matt Mika, and others. It turns out that the gentleman had come from Illinois to the Washington area to assassinate Republicans. He had a list in his pocket with six or eight names on it that he wanted to kill. My name was on that list. I was face-to-face with him. Thank God he wasn't prepared at that moment because he had targeted me specifically. He had my name, my address, my age, my physical description, and a number of other things. There were a lot of God winks on that field that day. We are just thankful that no one died, especially our Majority Leader Steve Scalise, my good friend, who the next year, after he recovered from his wounds, came out on the baseball field and had the first pitch in a live pitch baseball game off a bat hit directly to him. He was at second base. I was at shortstop. I came around to back him up behind the bag, and I was the first one there to take him in my arms and hug him and just praise God that he was there for that moment. As I wrap up here and give others a chance to share their memories, I will give a special shout-out to some heroes of that day. That is David Bailey and Crystal Griner, who were there as Steve's detail, who actually fended off the shooter and kept, I think, much more harm from being done if that shooter had been able to get on the field. Then the Alexandria Police Department showed up 11 minutes, 12 minutes after the shooting started. That is how quickly it happened. They dispatched the assassin, who the FBI said was hoping to die by suicide by cop. He was an assassin. Let's call him what he was. He knew he would probably die that day, but he wanted to take out as many Republicans as he could. It was a tragic day that day, but it was special because no one died. Everyone lived. There were so many God winks that were there.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 6192, the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act, and I thank Congresswoman Lesko for leading this effort and many others in this Congress. Throughout hearings in this Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has heard countless times how the Biden administration's energy policy puts special interests over affordability and reliability for Americans. Through the Department of Energy's appliance standard program, the Biden administration has abused their authority by setting aggressive standards on a variety of home appliances. Mr. Chair, I don't want Americans to be fooled about this. This effort by the Biden administration isn't about saving American consumers' money, it is solely about ending American's use of natural gas, period. They started with gas stoves and now they have announced plans to impose burdensome regulations that will raise the cost and reduce the performance of dishwashers, air conditioners, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, and several other products that Americans rely on every day. This is part of their whole-of-government approach to pursuing climate policy over all else. Secretary Granholm said in our DOE budget hearing just last week: We are obsessed with reducing the amount of energy Americans use. This administration hates fossil fuels and anything that uses fossil fuels. Their solution is to reduce emissions and preserve energy reliability. Instead of harnessing the abundant resources we have in this country, they want to reduce the quality of life for Americans by telling them how to cook their food and wash their clothes, how much water they can use, and what type of car they can drive. Congresswoman Lesko's bill puts energy affordability and reliability ahead of the dark money climate lobby this administration is beholden to. This bill reforms the Department of Energy's appliance standard setting process to clarify the DOE's regulatory authority and prohibits new standards that are not cost effective or technologically feasible. Because of this administration's reckless spending and regulatory agenda, the cost of everything is increasing in the United States of America. The last thing they should be doing is making the home appliances that Americans rely on even more expensive. Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense bill and thank Congresswoman Lesko, again, for leading this important effort.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time, and I rise in support of S. 870, which includes a bipartisan and bicameral nuclear energy package. I first thank my colleague, friend, and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security for leading this effort in the House along with me, Congresswoman Diana DeGette. I thank the chair and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Capito, for leading this effort in the Senate. Finally, I thank the chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, for making nuclear energy a policy priority in this Congress. Now, this package of nuclear bills is comprised of the work of many Members of both the House and the Senate on both sides of the aisle, and I thank them for their work in advancing the peaceful use of nuclear energy here in the United States. The ADVANCE Act, which is a Senate bill, and the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, which is a House bill, will expand nuclear energy by modernizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and programs at the Department of Energy. The bill updates our regulatory framework to restore America's nuclear dominance and encourage innovation while also maintaining the NRC's global gold standard of safety. Now, more than ever, it is essential that America leads in the nuclear energy space. As we approach a nuclear renaissance here in the United States, a future which will see small module reactors, microreactors, advance fuel reactors, and reprocessing of commercial spent fuels, it is exciting times. When Congress first passed the Atomic Energy Act over 70 years ago, we ushered in the age for the peaceful use of the atom and cemented American nuclear leadership globally. Our adversaries, like Russia and China, are working to undercut our strength and seeking to dominate the nuclear markets and supply chains. A robust and growing nuclear industry is critical for reducing carbon emissions and providing reliable, affordable, and clean energy to the American people. This nuclear package will help bring America's nuclear promise back and secure, once again, the United States' position as a global nuclear leader. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Washington, our chairwoman of the full Energy and Commerce Committee, for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1023, the Cutting Green Corruption and Taxes Act. By repealing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, H.R. 1023 protects taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse. This bill would repeal and rescind the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as EPA's green bank, which was originally enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act. This is nearly three times the amount of funding EPA received in their 2023 budget. It is completely outside the scope of the EPA's mission, and they don't have the capacity nor the expertise to manage a $27 billion climate bank. They are not a financial institution. Even worse, they are funding projects that benefit China. Solar panels, EVs, and wind turbines all have supply chains tied to the Chinese Communist Party. In addition to repealing the green bank, this bill would also repeal the natural gas tax. This tax is especially troubling for small and independent oil and gas producers that will not be able to afford to maintain their operations. This tax comes in addition to a suite of methane regulations that creates a structure unworkable for small and midsize companies. There are about 9,000 independent oil and gas producers in the United States. For the gentlewoman from Michigan who just spoke, 75 percent of them will go out of business in the State of Michigan if the methane tax stays in effect. These companies are not Big Oil. On average, they employ just 12 people. The methane regulations included in this natural gas tax would crush these producers, but that is the goal, isn't it, of the Biden administration and the left, to end U.S. oil and gas production and to use taxpayer money to prop up their climate special interests. In fact, we said yesterday President Biden got on an airplane, Air Force One, and flew to Saudi Arabia to beg the Saudis and OPEC to increase their fossil fuel production while at the same time killing U.S. fossil fuel production. It is not that they don't like fossil fuels because he went to Saudi Arabia to beg for more. He just doesn't like fossil fuels produced in this country. Mr. Speaker, we have to stop the madness and increase American energy independence.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, we are showing how misguided this $27 billion green bank is, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) knows about fossil fuel production and what this would mean to the great State of Pennsylvania that produces a lot of energy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, we pointed out yesterday that Americans are paying more for transportation fuels than they were just a few short years ago before the Biden administration started this war on energy. They are paying higher utility bills because green energy projects are costing more and driving up utility rates. If anybody watched the debate that the gentlewoman from Florida mentioned a minute ago, which occurred in our committee this week, they will see that we need to build out a pipeline infrastructure to deliver resources, produce American resources, deliver those resources, utilize those resources, and export. There is energy poverty in the world; not just in the United States, but globally. We can help with that by exporting more U.S.-produced, cleaner burning natural gas. Georgia has been leading on this issue and here is another Representative from Georgia to talk about it. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, this $27 billion green bank will benefit China, so it seems like the Biden administration and the House Democrats support China over the American people. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger). He is somebody that knows energy being that he is from the Permian Basin.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I was just informed by staff that I have 10 minutes left on this debate. I promise you, I am not going to take that, but I could because this issue is important to the American people. The border issue is number one across the country because we are being invaded across our southern border, and it is not secure. The second biggest issue the American people are interested in are their utility bills and the price at the pump, what it costs them to fill up their tank to take their kids to school, to go to work, to earn the money that is taxed by this government and spent recklessly by this government. We see $27 billion given to an EPA that doesn't have the mechanisms set up to be a bank, to do grants, to do these type of funding mechanisms. We pointed that out this week during energy week. We have talked about energy since we got here Tuesday, but I promise you, this isn't the end. We are going to continue to talk about American energy because it is time for America to become energy dominant once again, to be a net exporter of oil and to increase our LNG exports. We see this war by the Biden administration on American energy. He doesn't mind fossil fuels because he went and begged the Saudis to produce more to help lower the price because it is an election year. He has drained the SPR, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to the lowest level since 1980. The SPR is set up to handle national emergencies-- times of war and times of other climatic events that happen to help the American people. However, he drew it down for political purposes to lower the price at the pump because it was an election year, and we haven't refilled it. All these issues that were brought out this week during energy week have been important to the American people. The Republicans have pointed out that a lot of this $27 billion is going to end up in the Chinese Communist Party because they will be the beneficiary, just like Vladimir Putin is the beneficiary of lowering American energy production. He hasn't stopped. He is selling energy all over the world to help fund his war in Ukraine. Money that is going into the pockets of the oligarchs in Russia is funding the invasion and the battle that is going on in Ukraine right now. We could stop that. We ran the Germans out of oil during the Battle of the Bulge. It helped us win World War II. It was an energy issue then. It is an energy now. We could take the money away from Vladimir Putin and his ability to keep funding the war in Ukraine. However, today this bill talks about the EPA and their green bank and that slush fund that only caters to the radical environmentalists on the left. We are talking about the methane tax that is going to hurt producers across this Nation. It is going to drive energy prices up. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Gary Palmer's bill that we are debating today. It has been a heck of an energy week, and I am glad that the United States Congress is finally focusing on American energy producers to be energy dominant, energy secure once again. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, stop this green bank, end the methane tax, and help make America be stronger once again. Yes, we passed this bill or versions like it two or three times. We can pass it 10 more times, get the United States Senate to actually wake up and do their dadgum job and start taking up bills that the House passes in order to help make America stronger, to lead once again in the realm of American energy because energy is the foundation of everything. The American people know it. I am glad the United States House of Representatives, at least on our side of the aisle, understands that, as well. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 987 to denounce the harmful anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration, led by Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse. From day one, the Biden administration has waged war on American energy. Their actions and policies have jeopardized our grid security, caused America to become more dependent on foreign adversaries like Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, and others, and increased energy costs for everyday Americans. Energy is foundational to everything in American life. American energy powers our country, employs our workers, and drives our economy. When the cost of energy goes up, so does everything else. Since President Biden took office, the administration has taken over 170 regulatory actions to make it harder to produce and deliver American energy. President Biden and House Democrats are doing everything in their power to regulate American energy workers out of existence, and they don't care how it negatively impacts communities in South Carolina or any other State around the country. They are putting the needs of the radical climate lobby over hardworking Americans. Americans know gas prices hit a 4-month high this week, with a national average of $3.46 a gallon. In May 2023, it was calculated that nearly 20 million households in the United States were behind on their utility bills. That means they couldn't pay them or were having trouble paying them. In President Biden's first 26 months in office, energy prices increased roughly 27.2 percent, the largest increase of any of the past seven administrations. President Biden's policies have directly contributed to these unaffordable energy bills. He started his first day in office by canceling the Keystone pipeline, eliminating the potential for 11,000 energy sector jobs. He continues to block domestic mineral development while simultaneously forcing a rush to green agenda, which makes the United States reliant on foreign countries like China that use child labor, have inhumane working conditions, and do their mining in a very environmentally insensitive way. To distract from high energy prices, President Biden directed the largest drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the Nation's history. Now, the SPR, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is there for national emergencies--in time of war, hurricane, and other natural disasters. He drew it down for political purposes. Under Democratic control, the SPR has been drained to its lowest level since 1980 as an election year gimmick. It puts America at risk, though, not having that Strategic Petroleum Reserve available. President Biden's anti-American energy policies know no end. They are taxing natural gas, blocking pipelines, banning LNG exports, which help American producers but also help our friends and allies around the globe, and imposing aggressive EPA regulations. Just yesterday, the Biden administration announced a rule that would mandate that nearly two-thirds of new vehicles must be all-electric by 2032, regardless of cost, functionality, or consumer choice, which should drive the market for automobile production. Congressman Newhouse's resolution denounces these policies and encourages domestic energy production of reliable and affordable energy sources. Republicans have solutions, and those solutions will reverse the Biden administration's war on energy. The House recently passed H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act, to reverse the Biden LNG export ban. We also will be taking up this week H.R. 1023, the Cutting Green Corruption and Taxes Act, to repeal both the EPA greenhouse gas reduction fund and the EPA's recently proposed natural gas tax. Republicans are leading to unleash American energy and deliver more affordable and reliable energy to all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 987) denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 987.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the hardworking Americans, the taxpayers in this country, know that the rush to green policies of the Biden administration have made energy more expensive. The Democrats are going to say: Well, oil and gas production is higher than it has ever been in this country. Yes, it is, but it has nothing to do with the policies coming out of the Biden administration, which started a war on American energy on day one. There is not a single policy you can point to that the Biden administration has put forward that would increase oil and gas production. In fact, they have done everything to harm oil and gas production in this country. Oil and gas production increases are due to the policies of the last administration and policies that were set forth over the last decade-- nothing to do with the Biden rush to green policies that have made energy more expensive. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), our majority leader.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the gentlewoman across the aisle mentioned Ukraine because as the majority leader so succinctly pointed out, Joe Biden's policies of shutting down American energy production is actually funneling money to Vladimir Putin to help him pay for the war in Ukraine, to pay for the Russian Army to go in and kill Ukrainians. It is hypocritical for them to talk about Ukraine in the light of American energy production. The gentleman from Washington State, the chair of the Western Caucus has a great resolution that points out all of the things that the Biden administration has done to kill the American energy golden goose laying the golden egg, helping the economy. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, in World War II, we stopped the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge by running them out of fuel. We can influence the war in Ukraine by stopping the flow of money to Vladimir Putin through his sale of oil and gas by becoming an energy leader once again. America has the ability. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.