In a year that has seen the loss of 2.9 million jobs in America, I remain focused on creating jobs, cutting spending to reduce the deficit, and keeping taxes low. I encourage you to watch the video below.

Number One Priority -- VIDEO

On Tuesday evening, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat majority surprisingly announced that this Friday will be the day the House considers landmark energy and climate legislation known as “cap and trade.”  “Cap and trade” means the government would set artificial limits on the amount of emissions businesses, utilities, farmers, and others can have, forcing them to severely alter the way they operate.  If they can’t operate within their emissions limit, they would have to pay the government or other parties to get a higher limit.  This is essentially a tax on these groups, and it is most certainly going to be passed on to all of you.

This bill is still being written as we speak – no one has seen or read it, and the bill is being crafted completely behind closed doors and as it stands now it is rumored to be 1,201 pages long.  Normally, Members draft legislation, and then submit it to congressional committees for consideration. Only after it has received the support of the committee can the legislation be considered for a vote. However, this bill is going straight from the drawing board in Speaker Pelosi’s office to the House floor with no input from anyone except the small group of Members drafting the bill.

The cost is still unknown, but some reports indicate this bill could result in the loss of 3.2 million U.S. jobs.  The Heritage Foundation estimates this bill will increase electricity costs by 90 percent by 2035, gasoline by 58 percent, and natural gas by 55 percent.

At this point, it is very likely that we will not see the bill before we vote on it Friday.  Speaker Pelosi is continuing to hold closed door meetings this week, so the final version of the bill has not been written.  I do not support the process House Democrats are using to force this bill through the House, and I can’t support a costly piece of legislation when we do not know its impact on our country.