Issa: Biden’s energy crisis is getting worse and every American is paying more

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa issued the following statement:

“President Biden’s remarks today were defensive, divisive and, quite frankly, dishonest. He did not in any way advance the national interest or our international standing. Restricting Russian energy imports – long after my colleagues and I called on him to do so – won’t solve the current crisis.
 
"It is simply not true that this Administration is doing all it can to lessen the pain that Americans are feeling at the pump, from their utility bills to their inflation-battered pocketbooks. And it is unacceptable that President Biden seeks to leave Americans holding the bag for skyrocketing prices that he – and he alone – set in motion.

"The truth is, the Biden Administration had already plunged this country into an energy crisis before Vladimir Putin mobilized soldiers for this invasion of Ukraine. From his first days in office, President Biden stopped advanced energy infrastructure and sent an unmistakable message to the energy industry: no to pipelines, no to drilling, no to the financing of oil and gas projects. This was a stunning reversal of the energy independence policies that were working when he took office as oil production exceeded consumption for most of 2019 and 2020.

“How can this Administration beg Venezuela and OPEC for more oil, when American states can increase output here at home? This White House is too captive to its progressive base and too invested in its Green New Deal promises to turn to the kind of American innovation that can help us now.

“We need President Biden to address the nation with solutions tomorrow. He certainly didn’t do that today."
 

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Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 50th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.