Open Letter from Thaddeus McCotter

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Representative Thaddeus McCotter, the chair of the Republican House Policy Commitee, has a growing reputation as a conservative gadfly, speaking out bluntly on issues and sometimes challenging his own party to stick to their values. Today, Rep. McCotter sends an open letter to Democrats and Republicans in the Senate attempting to push a compromise energy bill that does nothing to produce significant new sources of American oil and natural gas.

Dear Senators:

On behalf of our constituents and every American, we U.S. House Republicans urge you to reconsider your well-intentioned but ill-advised proposal to unleash but a portion of our nation’s energy supplies.
As you are doubtlessly aware, America’s energy crisis is harming people: high gasoline, natural gas and other energy supply prices are reducing margins for manufacturers, small businesses, all entrepreneurs and workers by raising input prices, which hit the most vulnerable in society extremely hard, particularly working people. Furthermore, higher transportation costs to move products and employees are leading to shrinking profits, reduced investment, downward pressures on real wages and a downward spiral on earnings. These ominous, convergent factors risk a period of economic stagflation not suffered by Americans since the 1970s.
Thus, we are compelled to oppose your present proposal.

Succinctly, while we have numerous policy reasons for our position, we trust these two flaws, alone, will persuade you to reconsider your proposal:

First, the proposal perpetuates a governmentally imposed ban – one long made obsolete by soaring energy prices – and, thereby, continues a governmentally imposed shortage of American energy, particularly oil and gas. Thus, the proposal will not increase energy supplies sufficiently enough to provide economically suffering Americans critical, comprehensive relief from high gasoline and natural gas prices.

Secondly, compounding this problem, the proposal’s tax increase will be passed on to Americans through higher gas prices; thus, the proposal will increase working people’s pain at the pump.

At least one Republican gets it.



Open Letter from Thaddeus McCotter to Gang of 10/16/20