PRESS RELEASE
OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN DAN BURTON
FIFTH DISTRICT, INDIANA
2308 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON , D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2276 FAX (202) 225-0016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: CLARK REHME
August 5, 2008 (202) 225-2276
BURTON TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON THURSDAY
Will Be Leading the GOP Protest for a Vote on Energy Independence
WASHINGTON , DC -The lights, cameras, and microphones remain off today in the U.S. House chamber, but Republican Members of Congress continue to occupy the Floor and give speeches about energy solutions to anyone who will listen. After the vote to adjourn for a five-week recess passed last Friday, GOP Members began their sit-in and have refused to leave until Speaker Nancy Pelosi reconvenes the House and to allow an open and honest debate about energy independence for America and a vote on repealing the off-shore drilling moratorium.
To keep up the pressure on Speaker Pelosi and the House Democrat majority, Republican Congressmen have volunteered to take shifts throughout the five week August recess. Indiana Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN-05) has suspended his district activities and will assume his first shift this Thursday and Friday in the House chamber. On the decision to leave home in favor of continuing the protest, Burton said, "The energy crisis isn't going away any time soon, so Congress should get back to work, do their job, and offer real energy solutions to the American people. Other folks can go home and play politics this August, but there's a movement in this country to fight high gas prices, and I'm going back to give those people a voice.
" America can no longer afford to send over $700 Billion annually of our Nation's wealth to hostile foreign countries when we have the ability and resources to develop our own domestic energy sources and create hundreds of thousands of jobs right here at home. I firmly believe that this is not only an issue of the need to develop our own energy independence, but it's also an issue of American National security."
Burton , one of the most outspoken proponents of comprehensive energy legislation, is a leader of a bipartisan group that publicly introduced their energy solution in the House last week. In addition to environmentally responsible drilling, the bill also would institute greater conservation efforts and investment into technology that will pave the way to energy independence. Nonetheless, Nancy Pelosi, harnessing her power as Speaker, has forbade voting on any bill with drilling, even if it means blocking the constructive initiatives of her fellow Democrats.
Burton commented further on the crisis saying, "If Congress had already voted for more drilling and more oil production in this country, gas prices would have never risen above $4 per gallon. But now, even in the face of millions of Americans suffering financially across America due to soaring transportation, food and housing costs, Speaker Pelosi has put a blockade around any real energy legislation. Thanks to her running the House like her own personal Pelosi politburo, we are facing a moratorium on drilling, and a moratorium on votes. That is why I'm returning to Washington to protest."
For more information on Representative Burton's energy policy solutions, please visit his website at www.house.gov/burton
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