Protecting rural Missouri from the Left's costly climate agenda

On President Joe Biden’s first day in office, he declared war on American energy by cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have supported thousands of jobs and supplied 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada to U.S. refineries. It’s gotten even worse since then. While his radical, costly energy agenda is popular among the wealthy and most radical fringe of his party, it’s been a complete disaster for working-class Americans who are struggling to keep up with higher costs for everything from the gas they put in their cars, the groceries they buy to feed their families, and the furniture and appliances they purchase for their home. And as his new electric vehicle (EV) policy makes clear, he has no intention of abandoning his costly climate agenda.

In March, Biden announced a new EV policy that would effectively ban gas-powered vehicles by forcing auto manufacturers to comply with strict emissions requirements. The bottom line is that the government has no business forcing Americans to buy something they do not want and cannot afford. The average cost of an EV is $50,000, which is more than many working-class families in southeast and south-central Missouri make in a year. It’s an alarming reminder that their war on American energy is also a war on the working class.

Working-class families are hit the hardest by high energy costs. In Biden’s first 26 months in office, energy prices increased roughly 37.2% – the largest increase of any of the previous seven administrations. Whether the Left is hitting U.S. energy with crushing tax increases, forcing Americans to purchase EVs, or waging a regulatory assault to stifle domestic energy production, their radical climate agenda is an absolute nightmare for rural Americans and small businesses, especially at a time when prices for everyday goods are the highest they’ve been in decades.

The truth is that driving up energy costs is all part of the Left’s efforts to eliminate stable domestic energy sources and force America’s “clean energy transition.” They want to drive up the cost of gasoline, diesel and natural gas to try and push consumers to make the switch to cars, farming equipment, and homes that run on “cleaner” energy sources. But the reality is that many farmers, families and small businesses can’t afford to buy a $50,000 EV or spend tens of thousands of dollars to install EV chargers or solar panels on the roof of their homes. In addition, cars and farming equipment powered by the energy sources that they are trying to eliminate are easier and cheaper to repair.

Fortunately, House Republicans are fighting back against the Left’s costly climate agenda. In February, the Republican-led House passed legislation to stop Biden’s ban on liquid natural gas exports. And on the very same week that Biden announced his EV mandate, we passed several measures to protect Americans from the Left’s war on affordable energy. That includes a bill to block Biden from unilaterally banning fracking and another to nullify his rule restricting energy production on federal lands. We also passed legislation to eliminate the EPA’s $27 billion green bank slush fund to prevent unelected bureaucrats from forcing their climate agenda on Missourians. In addition, we passed a resolution opposing the Left’s carbon tax, which would raise energy prices and harm American competitiveness.

While I’m glad the Republican-led House has taken numerous actions to protect Americans from the Left’s costly climate agenda, the fight for affordable energy is far from over. I will continue working around-the-clock to stop the Left’s war on American energy and relentless efforts to force their way of life on rural communities.