With every day that passes, the Biden administration spins a new narrative to distract us from the energy catastrophe that it has caused. First, rising inflation was to blame. Next, energy producers were on the chopping block. Now, Vladimir Putin is the culprit. Pretty soon, this administration will run out of people to blame.

As of this past Sunday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.12, but let’s not forget about premium and diesel prices that were $4.80 and $5.08 respectively. For nearly ten straight weeks, crude oil has remained above $90 a barrel. What do these prices mean for average American households across the country and in the 5^th District? These households will be forking out an extra $2,000 per year as a result.

Let’s go back to the narratives I mentioned. The Biden administration’s favorite lie has been centered on the claim that “9,000” approved federal leases for production are going unused. Republicans on the House Select Climate Committee have debunked this claim and provided an analysis that I highly encourage you to read. You’ll find that the administration’s claim has more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese.

I’ll take this a step further. Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new rules that would mandate that energy producers disclose “climate-related risks” in an attempt to ram through Washington Democrats’ anti energy freedom agenda – further raising energy prices and stoking inflation. As a result, America’s top energy producers would fall within the left’s crosshairs yet again. We desperately need to return to the energy freedom we all had under President Trump, and these actions only threaten to move us backwards.

Rest assured that I will not hesitate to confront this administration whenever it steps out of line and attempts to put America’s interests last. My record of supporting energy freedom is clear, and I will continue to push back against any political agenda or brazen scheme that threatens families and hardworking taxpayers in the 5^th District. You can count on that.

The Great American Outdoors Act

In August of 2020, President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act, bipartisan legislation that established a fund to address burdensome maintenance backlogs on federal lands and permanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation fund. I’m pleased to have supported this legislation when it came before the People’s House for a vote. Recently, $127 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act was designated for the Blue Ridge Parkway. These funds will be used to improve a 75 mile stretch of roadway from Ashe County to Avery County and spur other key improvements related to the parkway. I look forward to seeing the progress that will be made at the Blue Ridge Parkway in the coming months and years thanks to this historic legislation.

To learn more about these upcoming improvements, click here.

Critical Election Theory

Recently, I joined House Administration Committee Republican Leader Rodney Davis (R-IL) in sending a letter to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking how he plans to prevent or counteract partisan election education. Our letter comes after a recent report that Stacey Abrams’ New Georgia Project, in coordination with Rock the Vote, conducted blatantly partisan “voter education” in public high school classrooms. Here is a short excerpt:

“This report comes at a time when parents have become increasingly frustrated at the progressive policies infiltrating public education and when voter confidence in our elections systems is at an all-time low. The United States’ decentralized election system is one of the strongest in the world. Unfortunately, situations like this one in Atlanta do real damage to voter confidence in our election systems and outcomes at a time when we can least afford it.”

To read our full letter, click here.

Quote of The Week

"Truth is incontrovertible, ignorance can deride it, panic may resent it, malice may destroy it, but there it is."

-Winston Churchill

Have a blessed weekend,