Watch Kennedy’s remarks here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the burden Louisiana families and workers are suffering as a result of record-high inflation and gas prices.
Kennedy’s comments included:
“Many of my people, Mr. President, are struggling. President Biden took office on January 20 of last year. So, what are we, we’re in day 490 of Build Back Better? From where many of people sit, nothing’s been built, and nothing is back, and nothing is better.
“There’s not a more appropriate example of that than the cost of living: inflation. When President Biden took office, the cost of gasoline in my state was $2—$2—a gallon. It's between $4.15 and $4.25 right now.
“And it’s not just gasoline, Mr. President. I mean, I don’t need to tell you: A dozen eggs now cost $2.52. Ground beef is $5.41. A pound of chicken is $4.10.
“The price of oil, the price of gasoline, affects so much in terms of our economy. I mean, most of our food, our clothes, our plastics, the things we use every day are delivered by air, by van, by tanker—all of which use gasoline. Pharmaceuticals are affected by the price of oil.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that the Biden administration is trying to disrupt the production of oil in America. I think that’s just a fact. We see it in the president canceling leases on federal lands in the Gulf of Mexico and ANWR. We see it from the difficult regulatory environment for oil and gas producers.”
. . .
“Now, President Biden has said he has no control over the price of oil, and, therefore, the price of gasoline.
“But, Mr. President, you can't have regulatory control over the drilling, the transporting, the storage, the refining, the trading, and the taxation of oil—as the president does—and say you have no control over the price of the commodity. I mean, that’s just not true.”
. . .
“Here’s his energy policy: wind, solar, and wishful thinking. It’s just not realistic. And, among other things, it is hurting our country—it’s hurting my people of Louisiana desperately because of the rise in gasoline prices.”
. . .
“The good people in Louisiana, they just can’t afford it. And my people deserve better.
“Now, what’s the answer? Here’s my opinion: We’ve got to stop spending. The Federal Reserve has got to be given a chance to do its job. The United States Congress has a budget that we have set for the United States of America. We need to live within our budget. Except for defense spending, we need to freeze spending. We need to freeze it and give the Federal Reserve a chance to get this inflation under control.”
Watch Kennedy’s full remarks here.