Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and her Republican colleagues led debate against H.R. 7688, the Socialist Energy Price Fixing Act. Instead of taking responsibility for their radical policies that led to skyrocketing energy prices, Democrats are once again trying to shift blame for surging prices on “price gouging.” Democrats want to use the FTC to cover up the consequences of Biden’s tax and spend agenda and attack small businesses to take America one step closer to socialism. Bottom Line: Surging gas prices are not a result of price gouging, but from President Biden’s war on American energy production and jobs. The following are excerpts of remarks and highlights from the House floor from Republicans exposing the Democrats’ blame game and their lurch toward socialist energy price controls. LEADER RODGERS: “America is in crisis. There’s a dangerous baby formula shortage. Inflation is out of control. “Gas prices surpassed $4 a gallon in every state for the first time ever and are predicted to hit $6 a gallon this summer. “Let’s come together and unleash American energy. […] “Today, the majority is pursuing government price controls on energy prices while continuing to shut down American energy. This combination will only make prices and inflation worse. “This scheme comes directly from the playbook of socialist dictators. Look at places like Soviet Russia, Venezuela, North Korea. These are the countries that have imposed government price controls. Actually, the United States of America tried this in the 1970s. “We tried this approach, and the result? Shortages, rationing, mile long lines for gas. It was an economic and humanitarian crisis. “And now again, the majority wants to impose de facto government price controls.” […] “President Biden is doubling down as he continues to shut down American energy. “He placed a moratorium on new drilling, canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, supported canceling oil leases in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, and this week, it was reported that he is moving to ease energy sanctions on Venezuela. “The United States of America is the leading producer of oil and gas. […] “Republicans have put forward solutions. We’ve introduced the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. I’m co-leading this legislation with the ranking member of Natural Resources, Bruce Westerman. “It would lower costs, protect our national security by flipping the switch and unleashing American energy. “Just this week, unfortunately, the Democrats blocked for the sixth time the vote on this legislation.” REP. KELLY ARMSTRONG (R-ND): “The irony of the situation is that House Democrats and the Biden administration are not on the same page. “A few months ago, I asked FTC—an agency that is supposed to be an independent commission—to investigate gasoline prices. “Three weeks ago, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing where nearly every Democrat accused companies of price gouging, or even worse, war profiteering. They seem to have forgotten that fact that two of those companies have absolutely zero refining capacity, yet still were accused of this.” REP. BOB LATTA (R-OH): “This bill would task the FTC to act as the arbiter for determining if price gouging is occurring and then reset the prices, never mind the fact that the FTC has investigated gas prices for decades and has never determined that gouging is the reason for price fluctuations. “Since day one, President Biden has made every effort to undermine, avoid, and restrict oil and gas production in North America. He cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have transported 830,000 barrels of oil every day from Canada into the United States. He put a moratorium on leases for oil and gas exploration on federal lands, as he said he would during the 2020 campaign.” REP. BILL JOHNSON (R-OH): “The majority continues to blame ever rising gasoline prices on everything but the real source, their own policy failures. Americans know this all started on January 20th, 2021, with President Biden signing multiple anti-American energy executive orders on day one. “First Democrats blamed COVID for the increase in gas prices. Americans didn’t buy it. Then following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Democrats tried spinning it as ‘Putin’s Price Hike.’ That flopped too. Today, it’s ‘price gouging.’” REP. BUDDY CARTER (R-GA): “Pain at the pump isn’t a cause of the Biden Administration’s policies, it’s the intended effect. They’ve admitted it themselves! The higher gas prices climb, the more affordable electric vehicles and their green new deal policies become. “Rather than incentivizing innovation and helping America unleash its energy potential, this Administration is stripping away the working class’s purchasing power to strongarm their ‘rush to green’ agenda. […] “This is not the first-time government price controls on oil and gas have been tried. It was the 1970s, and it led to decreased production, massive shortages and rationing, and mile-long lines at the gas pumps.” REP. JEFF DUNCAN (R-SC): “You know these stickers of Joe Biden keep popping up on gas pumps all across the nation. Let me be clear, Joe Biden absolutely did that. He raised gas prices. “On the campaign trail, he told the American people he was going to kill the fossil fuel industries and he’s trying to do that.” REP. LARRY BUCSHON (R-IN): “On average, gas prices in Indiana are over 43% higher than they were this time last year. Yet today, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are calling on their usual game plan on who to blame when gas prices get too high: ‘price gouging.’ “Let’s be clear. This isn’t remotely close to the culprit of why Hoosiers can’t afford filling up their cars. It’s been the numerous hostile policies of the Biden administration toward American energy producers.” REP. JOHN JOYCE (R-PA): “Instead of creating price controls that would lead to less production and massive gas shortages, we need to rely on the energy that lies beneath the feet of my constituents in Pennsylvania. Turn back on energy production here in America. “We should unleash our energy producers to provide the resources that we need and turn away from socialist crackdowns that continue to hurt Americans more as time goes on. Price controls only lead to inflation, and with the worst inflation in 40 years right now happening, Americans cannot afford price hike legislation.” REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): “It’s another week and another bill to try to divert attention away from what Joe Biden himself did to raise gas prices to the point where families can’t even afford to drive to work, can’t even afford to go to the grocery store to pay 15, 20% more for goods because of Biden’s inflation.” REP. BRETT GUTHRIE (R-KY): “The CEOs of the oil companies testified before a subcommittee of this committee that they weren’t price gouging. They testified under oath. So, we have what we need if they are price gouging for the administration to prosecute. But they’re not prosecuting.” REP. DEBBIE LESKO (R-AZ): “The problem is that even Biden’s own Energy Secretary said, and I quote, ‘I’m not sure anyone is saying there is wholesale gouging.’ “Oh, Madam Secretary, yes, that is exactly what your Democratic colleagues are now claiming.” REP. GREG PENCE (R-IN): “I rise today in opposition to H.R. 7688, because all I hear about back home is inflation. I hear about inflation, inflation, inflation, and it’s not just gas prices.” Don’t miss these highlights: NOTE: House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR) offered a motion to require President Biden to issue a five year off-shore oil gas leasing program. Democrats BLOCKED the program that would help flip the switch for more energy production. CLICK HERE to watch Leader Rodgers expose the dangers of the Socialist Energy Price Control Bill at Rules Committee. CLICK HERE to read more on the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.