Senate Democrats have been insistent about the problem of inflation with President Donald Trump in the White House, but they have also resisted efforts by Republicans to lower prices.
Senate Republicans undertook several efforts this week to reverse Biden administration regulations on restricting fossil fuels that have notably contributed to soaring energy and electricity prices. But Democrats who claim to be concerned about persistent inflation have largely resisted their Republican colleagues’ efforts to rescind Biden regulations aimed at lowering prices for everyday Americans.
“It would be nice if Democrats would join us in our efforts — if not to avoid our rapidly approaching energy crisis, at least to promote more affordable prices for Americans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor Thursday. “I’ve recently been hearing our Democrat colleagues express newfound interest in fighting inflation. If they’re serious about that, they should be joining us in blocking these anti-energy policies that are driving prices up.”
Senate Democrats have been taking Trump and Republican lawmakers to task over persistent inflation despite the president holding office for just a month.
“Donald Trump is breaking his promise to lower costs. This was the number one issue in the campaign,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Feb. 12. “But he is not doing that. He’s focused on everything else except what Americans want most.”
Republican lawmakers have notably sought to repeal Biden regulations to lower prices without Democrats’ support.
The Senate voted 52 to 47 on Thursday to repeal a Biden Environmental Protection Agency administration regulation imposing a tax on the methane emissions of natural gas operators.
The resolution passed the House largely along party lines Wednesday evening in a vote of 221 to 205. The measure now heads to Trump’s desk for the president’s signature.
Congress has authority under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal regulations issued in the final months of a previous presidential administration. The natural gas tax regulation is the first Biden rule to be repealed by both chambers in the 119th Congress.
Republican North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven led efforts to rescind former President Joe Biden’s natural gas tax in the Senate.
“His [Hoeven’s] resolution cuts about $7 billion on new natural gas taxes on energy producers,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “This tax on energy American families use to heat their homes was mandated by Democrats’ reckless tax and spend bill. The Democrat tax penalizes oil and gas production in America and punishes American families.”
“Republicans will not allow the sticky thorns of red tape to entangle American energy,” Barrasso continued. “We are taking the handcuffs off of American energy production.”
Senate Republicans also defeated a resolution Wednesday afternoon that would have terminated the national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. Senators voted 52-47 along party lines to reject Democrats’ attempts to scrap the declaration, which the president authored to reverse Biden’s efforts efforts to crack down on fossil fuels.
Trump invoked his authority under the National Emergencies Act to spur domestic energy production and lower energy prices, which skyrocketed under the Biden administration.
Senate Democrats, led by Tim Kaine of Virginia and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, forced a vote to rescind the president’s national energy emergency declaration, calling the looming energy crisis a “sham.”
Republicans blasted their Democratic colleagues for not taking grid reliability concerns seriously nor supporting policies that would lower energy prices.
“They’re out of their minds,” Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Anybody who doesn’t think we’re in a national emergency is a complete moron.”
Most of New England, Texas, the Midwest and the Southwest faced “elevated risk” of electricity shortages last summer if demand peaked at levels above normal due to mounting resource adequacy challenges, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2024 summer reliability report.
“Thanks in substantial part to a movement to shut down fossil-fuel-fired power plants before reliable sources of clean energy are available to replace them, America is running out of power even as we face huge new power demands,” Thune said Tuesday. “I realize this is an inconvenient truth to my Democrat colleagues. Why? Because it interferes with their plans to force the United States off conventional energy.”
“If Democrats acknowledge that we are rapidly approaching an energy crisis, they might have to actually consider the consequences of their energy plans,” Thune continued. “If we don’t take action, we are going to be facing some very serious problems in the very near future, so I’m grateful to have a president who recognizes and acknowledges the energy emergency facing our nation.”
Senate Republicans also rescinded a Biden Department of Interior regulation handicapping offshore oil and gas production Tuesday. The House has yet to take up the CRA resolution.
Andi Napier contributed to reporting.
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