Addressing Fuel Crisis Questions Transcript: Congressional Record April 16, 2008

Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I have listened to the debate on the floor, and I am somewhat puzzled. I have listened to the Republicans accuse Democrats of increasing gasoline prices. It reminds me of the fellow who said it would be like Roho the Rooster going to dinner with Colonel Sanders to imply that we are the ones that have caused this situation to occur this way.

I am looking at places like Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East, who are being protected by our young men and women, our brave men and women in the Middle East, in the Middle Eastern war that we have with Iraq. And I watched them build these huge mansions and ski slopes, going out in the ocean and building whatever you would like to have, I guess. Are they selling sand?

I wonder if our President when he went over there realized that the most folks he was going to be protecting were the oil tycoons who are over there in the Middle East.

I wonder why Saudi Arabia is not spending more money to held rebuild Iraq. I wonder why United Arab Emirates and Dubai are building these palatial estates for their folks to have ski slopes in the desert. I wonder why they aren't helping Iraq rebuild. We are there protecting them.

And why isn't Kuwait, who is producing all of the oil, is not helping America, at least helping to defuse the situation in the Middle East?

Why is this President not calling on Saudi Arabia to increase their production so at least we can put maybe a glut of oil on the market that will be threatening and intimidating to the stock markets that choose to drive the price of oil the way that it is. There is no reason it should be inflated the way it is.

Why is this administration not doing something about this? Don't blame Democrats who came on this floor 16 months ago. How in the world can you in all honesty try to imply that it is the Democrats' fault that we are paying $3-plus a gallon for gas today. Look at the circumstances and the situations. Have the Democrats, who in the last few months have tried to say let's find some way to resolve the issue in Iraq, are we the ones who said we ought to stay forever over there, and to disrupt the oil markets, to make people throughout the world, including those in places like India and in China, who are using an increased amount of oil that we can't control in this country, but we can at least control our foreign policy that we have established.

So let's think about what we are being told here. The poorest countries in the world are paying $100-some for oil, just like we are in this country, considered to be one of the richest nations of the world.

India and China are paying the same price that we are paying in this country. I guess the Democrats forced the price up also in China and India. Maybe I'm missing something, but let's be honest in this debate and let's be honest with the American public and let's stop blaming folks for what is happening.

The turmoil and instability in the Middle East has brought about most of the situation that we have, and the economic growth, that may recede dramatically, may also drop it down. That might please you if that happens.

But I can tell you this much, the folks that I represent in my district came to the open meetings, and their concern was gasoline prices just like you're saying about your district.

They are also worried about health care costs and whether or not they will be able to survive. Small business folks are literally losing their business because they cannot afford to keep up the cost both of fuel and of health care costs.

We have a lot of problems we need to address, but blaming someone and saying the last 16 months we have brought to this Nation the high gasoline prices, Democrat leaders have, to me stretches the truth a little bit to where that rubber band breaks.