February 27, 2008 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) released the following statement today after the House once again passed grievously flawed energy legislation, H.R. 5351, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act.

"I completely fail to understand how and why Democrats continue in their attempt to address our nation's energy needs with solutions that will result in higher gas prices and more American taxpayer dollars being funneled to socialist dictators like Hugo Chavez.  In an age where both parties passionately advocate for less dependence on foreign oil and energy, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that penalizing our domestic American producers will only yield further advantage to foreign competitors while making domestic production and innovation increasingly difficult. 

"Yet, during debate on today's energy bill, Democrats not only rejected a Republican plan to permanently extend marriage penalty and child tax credit relief for middle-class families, but they opted instead to provide a tax break for Venezuelan-owned company CITCO.  A vote for this bill was a vote to raise taxes for average middle-class American families, which is beyond reckless when one considers the precariousness of our current economic situation.

"Meanwhile, Democrats persist in their refusal to address the absolutely critical FISA legislation that would restore to our intelligence community the ability to monitor foreign-based terrorists in a timely fashion.  That alone is absolutely unconscionable.

"Perhaps now that Democrats have once again wasted time in sending the fourth energy bill to the Floor of the House to be either tabled in the Senate or vetoed by the President, they will finally be willing to work towards an effective, bipartisan solution and enable this body to focus on other critical issues facing our nation."