OPINION:
The Energy and Commerce Committee recently heard from David Hickman, a farmer, who described our current economy as, quote, “the most perilous time for American agriculture.” He’s right, and he’s not alone.
Every day that I’m in Georgia’s First Congressional District, whether I’m talking to a parent, a farmer, a teacher, a trucker, or a small businessowner, I hear the same concern: “Inflation is too high.” Everything, from diesel to food, is more expensive under this president, who cannot stop himself from spending your money, stealing your retirement funds, and stomping on your small business.
The average household is paying $10,000 more per year because of Biden’s policies. That puts a significant dent into household’s budgets; but for this administration, your hard-earned dollars are just padding for its left-wing wish lists disguised as policy proposals.
What’s worse is that pain is the point.
On day one of his presidency, Biden declared war on American energy, and at breakneck speed ended American energy independence and killed thousands of jobs. What came next? Inflation, high interest rates, small businesses closing their doors, and even more inflation.
When you plunge a knife into the heart of our economy, you can’t be surprised when it begins bleeding out.
Fortunately, House Republicans are stepping up and delivering solutions for the American people. H.R. 1 will increase American energy production, reform the permitting process for all industries, reverse this administration’s anti-energy policies, streamline energy infrastructure, and boost the production and processing of critical minerals.
That’s a long-winded way of saying that this bill will make our energy sector more affordable, more efficient, and will create more jobs.
The American people told us that inflation and high energy prices were their number one concern, and we are listening by making it the House’s number one priority.
I’m also glad that my bill, H.R. 1070, was included in this legislation and will bring necessary permitting reform and investment in America’s critical mineral processing.
We are losing to China in the race to supply the world with critical minerals, and it’s not even close. This bill is just one part of a much larger effort to fix permitting in our country and extends the official invitation to those who wish to invest in critical mineral processing to do so here, in America. My District, which includes all 100 miles of Georgia’s pristine coastline, is one of the few places in America that still mines critical minerals. We know how important it is for us to bring this life-saving supply chain home and we can do that by signing H.R. 1 into law.
While the President may begrudgingly acknowledge that “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade” despite most evidence pointing towards much longer timelines my colleagues on the other side of the aisle pursue policies that openly seek to put these essential, reliable fuels out of business, jeopardizing our energy security.
It’s both nave and foolish to think we can power our lives and economy without the baseload, reliable power that these traditional fuels provide. We are already seeing the detrimental and often disastrous impacts of this in Europe, which transitioned too quickly to less reliable forms of energy, leading to winter and summer blackouts and brownouts. We cannot afford to allow our policies to get ahead of our innovation and succumb to the same fate.
The question is not whether we need American energy, the question is how can we produce more of it so that we are reliant on ourselves, not China, to meet these basic needs? H.R. 1 is the answer and I urge the Senate to swiftly take up this legislation so we can deliver relief to the American people.
• U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, Georgia Republican, serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Budget Committee. A pharmacist by trade, he represents the state’s First Congressional District, which includes the entire coast of Georgia.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.