Durbin Exposes Trump's Phony "Energy Emergency," Which Will Only Cut American Jobs And Enrich Big Oil Billionaires
In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin urges his colleagues to vote for Senator Kaine’s measure that will end President Trump’s fabricated “energy emergency”
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) disparaged the Trump Administration’s fabricated “energy emergency,” which President Trump declared in a vile effort to use additional presidential authority to fast-track the construction of oil pipelines and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, among many other pro-fossil fuel projects. The false emergency is a thinly veiled effort to appease President Trump’s wealthy donors at the expense of the planet, American jobs, home electric bills, and the U.S.’ energy independence from China.
Durbin’s remarks came ahead of a vote on a measure introduced by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would end the fictitious national energy emergency declared by President Trump through an Executive Order.
Durbin began his floor speech by emphasizing that, despite the Trump Administration’s claims, the United States has been thriving in energy production, particularly because of the Inflation Reduction Actprovisions that every congressional Republican voted against.
“Among those Executive Orders [issued by President Trump] was his declaration of an ‘energy emergency.’ Turns out that the claim is not based on fact. There is no ‘energy emergency’ in America. Under the Biden Administration, we saw record deployment of wind, solar, biofuels, batteries, oil, gas, and nuclear. In fact, the United States is producing more power than ever, and last year, the United States of America produced more oil than any nation in the history of the world,” Durbin said. “And yet, President Trump continues to insist that America is on the verge of nationwide blackouts and that clean energy will raise prices. [That is] Simply not true.”
As Durbin underscores, President Trump’s emergency declaration was motivated by placating the billionaires that he asked for hefty campaign contributions from. The declaration grants President Trump additional presidential authorities, allowing the Administration to circumvent critical environmental regulations and open up federal lands and waters for oil and gas drilling. This will only enrich Big Oil executives while desecrating protected lands.
“So what’s the reason for the President to try to mislead the American people? The short answer is that he wants to give handouts to his billionaire buddies in the fossil fuel industry,” Durbin said. “Before Elon Musk showed up with his multi-billion-dollar fortune, it was reported that then-candidate Donald Trump invited fossil fuel executives to Mar-a-Lago to ask for – hold on to your seats – a one-billion-dollar campaign contribution.”
“Now that President Trump is in office, he is doing everything he can to keep those billionaires happy. That means tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, which is on its way I’m afraid, opening up federal lands and waters for drilling, and yes, declaring this phony energy emergency,” Durbin said.
While President Trump falsely asserts that his declaration will support U.S. energy production, he failed to include any provisions to support fossil fuels’ cleanest competitors—wind and solar power. As wind and solar power are the cheapest energy to produce, consumers who use this power, in turn, see a reduction in their energy costs.
In fact, President Trump’s so-called “energy emergency” could raise a family’s annual energy bills by up to 12 percent or around $500 a year. In addition to costing Americans hundreds of dollars, the phony “energy emergency” could cost the country the 400,000 new jobs that Democrat-led investments have spurred since August 2022.
“Wind and solar power is the cheapest energy in the world. And those cheap prices get passed on to families... I know personally. A few years ago, my wife and I made the decision to install solar panels on the roof of our home. Our home project gave union workers in my community a good-paying job, and it was just one project contributing to the hundreds of thousands of jobs created under the Biden Administration,” said Durbin.
“Since Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act was enacted two and a half years ago, more than one and a half million Americans have installed solar panels,” Durbin said. “Every one of those installations also helped to create good-paying jobs for electricians, carpenters, and other workers, and supplying those panels created thousands of new jobs at factories around the country. But President Trump was not impressed. He wants to eliminate those jobs.”
President Trump’s fabricated national emergency also jeopardizes the U.S.’ energy independence. Earlier this month, the American solar industry reported that, for the first time ever, it had the capacity to meet the demand for all solar in the U.S. Historically, China has dominated solar manufacturing by controlling at least 80 percent of the global market; however, the country was leading the sector by circumventing tariffs and using forced labor to produce solar panels. Rather than invest in American-made clean energy and American jobs, President Trump is turning toward Big Oil billionaires and allowing China to overtake the U.S.’ energy sector.
Durbin concluded his remarks by urging his colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to stand up for American-made clean energy, American jobs, and American energy independence by voting to end President Trump’s fictional energy emergency.
“We have an opportunity to undo the harms of one of President Trump’s many lies today… We need to raise up American workers, lower utility bills, and put our country back on track to lead the world in clean energy. I urge my colleagues to support the Kaine measure,” Durbin said.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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