Roger Williams on Small Business Week, stopping Europe’s sustainability scheme and more!

Roger Williams rings in Small Business Week on the Hill; Heard on the Hill; and more!

May 8, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Rep. Roger Williams rings in Small Business Week: "Everything Trump is doing is geared towards small business”

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EDITORIAL: Stopping Europe’s sustainability scheme is a winning issue for Republicans

4. EXCLUSIVE: Biden's Department of Energy doled out almost $100 billion in "Green New Deal wish list" in final weeks

5. EDITORIAL: Promoting Financial Freedom

6. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Pat Fallon calls on Trump admin to bolster US grid resiliency amid Spain blackouts

7. SCOOP: Kennedy Center cuts 13 jobs in efforts to dig out of severe financial hardship

8. SCOOP: New polling reveals vast majority of registered voters concerned about entitlement abuse, big on tax cuts

9. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Republicans push back on progressive “most favored nation” drug plan for reconciliation: “political suicide”

10. OPINIONATED: Rep. Brad Wenstrup on supercharging the economy, Hunter Hamberlin and Christina Smith on transparency in our healthcare system, and Rep. Vince Fong on how California’s energy policy is at a breaking point.

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INTERVIEW: Rep. Roger Williams rings in Small Business Week: "Everything Trump is doing is geared towards small business"

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Roger Williams (R., Texas), the Chairman of the Small Business Committee, has run a small business for almost 60 years and has a message for both the mom-and-pop shops and the Dallas Cowboys: “It’s a great time to be in business in America.”

• Williams said help is on the way. He told the Washington Reporter in an interview that “we'll get [the Trump tax cuts] done by the end of May.”

• Main Street America, Williams emphasized, cares far more about tax cuts than tariffs.

• Williams, himself a long-time car dealer, said that his industry hasn’t even seen any tariffs hit yet — but he said that he’s not “afraid” of them regardless.

Rep. Roger Williams (R., Texas), the Chairman of the Small Business Committee, has run a small business for almost 60 years.

And the Texas Republican has a message for both the mom-and-pop shops and the Dallas Cowboys: “It’s a great time to be in business in America.”

Williams said help is on the way. He told the Washington Reporter in an interview that “we'll get [the Trump tax cuts] done by the end of May.”

“We’ve got to do it,” Williams said of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act extension. “Why haven’t we already done it? We came out with a program out of the House, which was great, versus the Senate, they dragged their feet a little bit.”

“I'm hoping, like the Speaker does, that we can have it done by the end of May,” he continued. “There's some who say by the Fourth of July, that's fine, get it done. But I'm just telling you, Main Street America is not talking tariffs.”

“Main Street America is talking about tax cuts,” he added.

Williams explained that Trump’s tax cuts benefit both employers like him and his employees. The former supports the tax cuts because “it cuts payroll taxes.” The latter backs it because “they want more money in their pockets.”

Additionally, the bill “allows 100 percent expensing, which is huge, where you buy equipment and write it off the year you buy it.”

Main Street America, Williams emphasized, cares far more about tax cuts than tariffs.

“Of course, the press wants to talk about tariffs and this and that, but they need to be talking about the opportunities out there,” Williams said.

Williams, himself a long-time car dealer, said that his industry hasn’t even seen any tariffs hit yet — but he said that he’s not “afraid” of them regardless.

“I'm aware, and the industry is aware, but we're not afraid, because this industry has always had a way to get around and take problems and turn them into opportunities and turn opportunities into development, and you're going to see that in the auto industry right now,” Williams said.

HEARD ON THE HILL

• POWERING UP AMERICA: The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) sent a letter praising President Donald Trump and his administration for a pair of executive orders bolstering America’s energy resiliency. NARUC president Tricia Pridemore was seen around D.C. recently amid rumors of her receiving a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) role.

• GETTING REAL: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was on Capitol Hill today, appearing before the House Oversight Committee hearing ahead of Real ID enforcement beginning tomorrow. Noem told the committee that “81 percent” of airline travelers in America are compliant.

• GEORGIA SHOWDOWN: Georgia GOP House members are eyeing the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.). Reps. Mike Collins (R., Ga.) and Buddy Carter (R., Ga.) both publicly indicated interest, but the delegation eyes the White House to see what President Donald Trump says. Senior Rep. Austin Scott (R., Ga.) and Gov. Brian Kemp (R., Ga.) both ruled out Senate runs.

• QUESTIONS RAISED: The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a press conference to release their oversight report on the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting that saw several lawmakers attacked and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.) nearly lose his life. Scalise wrote that the “report definitively shows the FBI completely mishandled the investigation into the Congressional baseball shooting of 2017.”

• UNSURPRISING MOVE: Par for the course with her usual behavior, House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) staged a walkout of a joint roundtable on digital assets between her committee and the House Agriculture Committee.

• IN THE STACKS: Senate Republicans will be meeting off-site at the Library of Congress on Wednesday to review reconciliation text and priorities by committee. David Sacks is expected to join and discuss GENIUS and Crypto issues.

EDITORIAL: Stopping Europe’s sustainability scheme is a winning issue for Republicans

by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board

Congressional Republicans have the chance to push back on a scheme that would raise costs on every American — and they should seize it.

The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), adopted in May 2024, is a brazen attempt to impose European regulatory standards on American businesses. This directive, with its extraterritorial reach, threatens U.S. sovereignty, economic competitiveness, and corporate autonomy.

Congressional Republicans must seize the moment and escalate efforts to block the CSDDD. Opposing this scheme is both good politics and sound policy, offering a chance to rally voters and protect American interests.

The CSDDD requires companies, including U.S. firms with significant EU revenue, to conduct exhaustive due diligence on human rights and environmental impacts across global supply chains. It also mandates Paris Agreement-aligned climate transition plans, enforcing rigid net-zero targets.

While cloaked in the language of sustainability, the directive’s true impact is to subject American companies to European oversight, bypassing U.S. law. Unratified UN and OECD principles become binding, with non-compliance risking steep fines and civil liabilities in EU courts. This is not corporate responsibility — it’s regulatory imperialism at its worse.

Politically, opposing the CSDDD is a slam dunk for Republicans. The directive embodies the progressive climate and social justice agendas that GOP voters reject. On X, formerly Twitter, Senate Republicans like Bill Hagerty and the Senate GOP Conference have correctly called it an assault on U.S. sovereignty that could inflate costs for American families. Congressional sources told the Washington Reporter to expect more Republicans to speak out in coming weeks, indicating a groundswell of opposition.

By correctly calling the CSDDD as globalist overreach, Republicans can energize our voters and put the left on defense.

On the policy front, blocking the CSDDD is a no-brainer. Compliance costs, projected to be substantial, would force U.S. companies to overhaul operations and supply chains, stifling innovation and profitability. Imagine small companies in Arkansas being forced to disclose their supply chains to European bureaucrats.

The CSDDD also disrupts corporate governance. U.S. law prioritizes fiduciary duty to shareholders, but the directive’s stakeholder-centric model opens American firms to litigation risks from progressive, so-called “human rights” issues, which to the left means anything that socialists want. This puts liberal bureaucracy in charge of U.S. businesses and is a direct assault on our sovereignty.

EXCLUSIVE: Biden's Department of Energy doled out almost $100 billion in "Green New Deal wish list" in final weeks

by Matthew Foldi

During the final weeks of the Biden administration, the Department of Energy closed $53 billion in loans and made an additional $40 billion in conditional commitments, a department source told the Washington Reporter.

The billions of dollars amounted to a “Green New Deal wish list,” the source said.

Between Election Day of 2024 and the second inauguration of President Donald Trump, the tens of billions of dollars sent out by the Energy Department totaled more than it had given out in the past 15 years, the source noted.

Several of the companies had financial problems ranging from pending and active bankruptcies to ties to foreign sovereign wealth funds, a department source told the Reporter.

Chris Wright, the Secretary of Energy, is testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday, where the actions of his predecessor are expected to come under scrutiny by Republicans.

The Trump administration is in the process of clawing back as many of the loans as is possible and is moving to reconfigure future loans to entities that back the administration’s goals of both decreasing the cost of America’s critical infrastructure and increase its reliability, Wright said last week.

The current administration has already scored a series of high-profile wins in this field. General Motors announced in its recent earnings call that it will repay its $1.8 billion loan.

EDITORIAL: Promoting financial freedom

by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board

America’s edge in financial innovation is under siege. But the threat isn’t coming from foreign competitors — it’s coming from a handful of powerful Wall Street banks trying to claw back control over how Americans live our financial lives.

Big bank giants are now waging a behind-the-scenes campaign to dismantle a rule that protects a fundamental freedom: your right to access and control your own financial data. If they succeed, it could mean the end of consumer choice, the death of financial innovation, and a devastating setback for American competitiveness.

At the center of this battle is the Dodd-Frank Section 1033 rule, also known as the Personal Financial Data Rights Rule. Originally launched under the Trump administration, the rule guarantees Americans the freedom to securely share their financial data with services outside the walls of their traditional bank. That includes peer-to-peer payment apps, crypto wallets, and alternative investment platforms.

Without this rule, the biggest banks could decide which apps you are allowed to use. Want to donate to a political campaign through Venmo? Better hope your bank allows it. Want to buy a Cybertruck using a digital wallet? You could be blocked.

This is the equivalent of needing your bank’s permission to write a check. That’s simply unacceptable in a modern economy.

Make no mistake: rolling back this rule isn’t about security or compliance — it’s about power. It’s about legacy institutions trying to choke off competition from upstart technologies that threaten their dominance. It’s about centralizing financial control in a few institutions that have proven they don’t always have the best interests of everyday Americans at heart.

This is not just bad policy, it is a direct assault on the free market and on President Donald Trump’s legacy of modernizing the financial system. The 1033 rule was part of a broader effort to expand innovation, unlock choice, and level the playing field for small businesses and consumers. It had bipartisan support and remains critical to keeping the United States ahead of rivals like China, which are investing heavily in digital financial infrastructure.

Preserving this rule isn’t just about protecting innovation. It is about defending economic freedom. If Americans can’t decide for themselves how to manage their money or which tools to use, we’ve lost something fundamental.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Pat Fallon calls on Trump admin to bolster US grid resiliency amid Spain blackouts

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Massive energy blackouts across Spain and Portugal are prompting Rep. Pat Fallon (R., Texas) to ensure that similar problems don’t happen in America.

• Fallon sent a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright calling on the Trump administration to “restore American energy independence” and remove the Biden administration’s green energy regulations.

• “The U.S. needs prioritize dependable sources of energy like natural gas, oil, and coal to power our nation and protect our national security,” Fallon told the Reporter.

• Fallon wants the Energy Department to brief him on “the state of US grid resiliency, both from an energy use perspective and how secure our electrical grid is in the face of potential cyberattacks by foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, or North Korea.”

Massive energy blackouts across Spain and Portugal are prompting Rep. Pat Fallon (R., Texas) to ensure that similar problems don’t happen in America.

The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained a letter Fallon wrote to Energy Secretary Chris Wright calling on the Trump administration to “restore American energy independence and do away with the previous administration’s ideologically driven push for renewable mandates.”

“The U.S. needs prioritize dependable sources of energy like natural gas, oil, and coal to power our nation and protect our national security,” Fallon told the Reporter.

“At the same time, the longer we leave our electrical grid vulnerable, the longer we invite cyberattacks from adversaries like China or Russia, risking widespread outages that endanger American lives,” he continued. “We must ensure we have planned for future threats to our grid to safeguard America’s future.”

Due to years of neglect, “the prospect of additional widespread outage due to domestic energy policy or a failure to secure our software systems is cause for considerable alarm,” Fallon warned in his letter to Wright.

Fallon wrote that the Trump administration’s reprioritization on “reliable forms of energy — particularly natural gas, oil, and coal — is important not only for meeting America’s domestic energy needs, but for affording the US leverage on the world stage,” but noted that there is more to do.

SCOOP: Kennedy Center cuts 13 jobs in efforts to dig out of severe financial hardship

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• The world-renowned Kennedy Center is laying off 13 employees across its education and development departments, the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

• The cuts are the latest part of cost savings that have totaled $10 million from staff reductions alone.

• The cuts — viewed as a “financial necessity” by those familiar with the Center’s poor finances — come as its new leadership, led by President Donald Trump and Ric Grenell, aim to rightsize the budget that they have repeatedly categorized as failing.

• In a previous interview with the Reporter, Grenell noted his predecessor’s “criminal” financial mismanagement of the center.

The world-renowned Kennedy Center is laying off 13 employees across its education and development departments, the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

The cuts are the latest part of cost savings that have totaled $10 million from staff reductions alone.

The cuts — viewed as a “financial necessity” by those familiar with the Center’s poor finances — come as its new leadership, led by President Donald Trump and Ric Grenell, aim to rightsize the budget that they have repeatedly categorized as failing.

In a previous interview with the Reporter, Grenell noted his predecessor’s “criminal” financial mismanagement of the center.

“For the last several months before I got to the Kennedy Center, all staff payroll was being done through debt reserves,” Grenell previously said.

“At the end of the day, what my management is doing for the Kennedy Center is going through every department, questioning the number of people and the mission for each department, and trying to get us refocused on a common sense mission: bringing arts and entertainment to the Kennedy Center that actually sell tickets,” he continued.

When Grenell and his team arrived, the center had no cash on hand.

SCOOP: New polling reveals vast majority of registered voters concerned about entitlement abuse, big on tax cuts

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• A new poll is illustrating how voters feel about waste, fraud, and abuse when it comes to their entitlements in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

• The poll, conducted for the 85 Fund, found that 71 percent of registered voters are concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse within the programs. Thirty-seven percent said they are somewhat concerned, while 34 percent said they are very concerned.

• The polls also asked registered voters about their feelings surrounding the GOP efforts to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

• Forty-five percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for an elected official who opposed extending the tax cuts and 57 percent said they would be less likely to support an elected official who voted to raise their taxes by blocking the extension of the 2017 tax cuts.

Waste, fraud, and abuse have come to the forefront of the American zeitgeist as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dive into how taxpayer money has been spent.

Now, a new poll is illustrating how voters feel about the subject when it comes to their entitlements in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; the poll’s release comes as Republican-aligned groups, like the American Action Network (AAN), announce plans to spend almost $10 million in ads that defend Republicans against Democratic attacks over Medicaid cuts.

The poll, conducted for the 85 Fund, found that 71 percent of registered voters are concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse within the programs. Thirty-seven percent said they are somewhat concerned, while 34 percent said they are very concerned.

Conversely, 24 percent said they were not concerned — 15 percent not very concerned and nine percent “not concerned at all” — while five percent were unsure.

Fifty-nine percent of voters polled said they supported efforts to institute a work requirement for Medicaid while 68 percent said they supported efforts to cut back on waste, fraud, and abuse in programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The polls also asked registered voters about their feelings surrounding the GOP efforts to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

Republicans push back on progressive “most favored nation” drug plan for reconciliation: “political suicide”

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• For years, progressive leaders have urged policymakers to adopt federal price controls for prescription drugs, mirroring those in socialist countries.

• Now groups, including Arnold Ventures — led by progressive billionaire John Arnold — are pressing Republicans to incorporate these policies into the Republican reconciliation bill.

• Progressive advocates argue that MFN would reduce costs for Republicans, as socialist countries often pay less than the cost to produce prescription drugs.

• Angela Landers, a spokesperson for Arnold Ventures, told the Washington Reporter, that “as a philanthropy, Arnold Ventures is committed to improving health care delivery, lowering costs, and reducing disparities in access. We have worked, and will continue to work, across the political spectrum with leaders who are committed to these efforts.”

For years, progressive leaders have urged policymakers to adopt federal price controls for prescription drugs, mirroring those in socialist countries.

Now groups, including Arnold Ventures — led by progressive billionaire John Arnold — are pressing Republicans to incorporate these policies into the Republican reconciliation bill. Sources tell the Washington Reporter that progressive advocates are making a last-minute push to include a policy called Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing in the Medicaid section of the reconciliation bill. Under MFN, the federal government would set price controls for prescription drugs to match prices in socialist countries. Arnold has pushed for similar policies in the past.

Progressive advocates argue that MFN would reduce costs for Republicans, as socialist countries often pay less than the cost to produce prescription drugs. Arnold Ventures has funded polling presented to Congressional Republicans, promoting MFN as an alternative to traditional Republican policies, such as adding work requirements for healthy adults on Medicaid or cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. One source reported that a presenter told senior Congressional aides that “it’s a no-brainer to have the government negotiate drug prices.”

However, four Republican sources told the Reporter that including MFN in the reconciliation bill is unlikely to succeed and could have severe political consequences.

A senior Congressional official told the Reporter that “the problem with MFN is that it’s not just bad policy — half of our House members strongly oppose it. Adding a last-minute progressive priority sinks the entire bill.”

A Senate committee staffer specializing in healthcare issues added that “if Medicaid pays less for drugs than the cost to produce them, the prescription drug program will collapse. These policies are only supported by figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Republicans aren’t going to do this.”

Another Senate aide remarked: “which is easier to explain to voters: that we cut waste, fraud, and abuse from Medicaid, or that we inadvertently eliminated their prescription drug access because liberals convinced someone [MFN] was a good idea?”

Multiple outlets report that industry groups and conservative nonprofits, including Citizens Against Government Waste, have begun lobbying Congress against MFN. “It’s ultimately political suicide,” one Republican source added, about the idea of jeopardizing access to drugs for seniors.

A senior Republican strategist warned the Reporter of the political fallout: “If American seniors and Medicaid patients lose access to drugs — which will happen — it could swing enough seats to impeach and remove President Trump. That’s probably John Arnold’s plan.”

OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Rep. Brad Wenstrup: Close the “double duty drawback” loophole to put American workers first and supercharge our economy through tax cuts

by Rep. Brad Wenstrup

During my more than a decade in Congress, I witnessed firsthand how government policies can either uplift or undermine American workers and businesses. I’ve always believed in practical solutions that prioritize fairness and economic strength. President Donald Trump’s commitment to slashing government waste and fraud is a refreshing change after years of rash spending under the guidance of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

Now, with the current Republican trifecta in Washington, our nation has a prime opportunity to deliver savings through reconciliation to fund the President's transformative tax cuts. Tax cuts for our own hard working citizens rather than a foreign business.

For that reason, I’m urging my former colleagues to tackle the “double duty drawback” loophole for tobacco — a glaring and perfect example of government policy going in the wrong direction.

This loophole allows foreign tobacco companies to flood the U.S. market with cigarettes while receiving a refund to avoid federal excise taxes. Meanwhile, American companies are required to foot the full tax bill.

As a physician, and former co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, I’ve long advocated for better health outcomes and less tobacco use. The fact that foreign tobacco companies are getting a free tax pass while our businesses and workers are penalized adds insult to injury.

Originating from Congressional actions in 1984 and 2004, this loophole drains $2.2 billion annually from American taxpayers — $22 billion over a decade — according to the Treasury Department. That’s money that could fund tax cuts to support families and businesses here at home. Instead, we’re effectively subsidizing foreign workers and corporations. It’s not just wasteful — it lacks common sense and it’s un-American.

President Trump, the standard-bearer of standing up for the American citizen, has long fought against such unfair policies. During his first term, he directed the Customs and Border Protection, as well as the Treasury Department, to issue regulations closing this loophole. The courts, however, ruled that the Trump administration didn’t have that authority, blocking it in 2020.

Now, Congress has the chance to rectify an unjust policy.

Op-Ed: Hunter Hamberlin and Christina Smith: Americans deserve transparency in our healthcare system

by Hunter Hamberlin and Christina Smith

Cutting wasteful and ineffective spending has been a priority for the Trump administration, and mini Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts have been proposed in many states, including Texas. Unfortunately, some state efforts would derail these otherwise-laudable efforts. In particular, the Texas Legislature is seriously considering a bill that would lock in the waste and inefficiency of a drug policy boondoggle known as the federal 340B Drug Discount Program. Lawmakers should kibosh this flawed bill and target aid to patients that need it the most.

This program was created to aid vulnerable patients, but it has ended up wasting money while failing to deliver the intended benefits and costing taxpayers billions of dollars through its flawed discount-and-reimbursement scheme. Large tax-exempt hospitals and pharmacy chains are profiting off a program intended to help vulnerable communities and the patients living in them. Many large hospitals purchase drugs at the steeply discounted 340B price, but bill insurers — including taxpayer-funded insurance programs — at the much higher full price, banking the difference as profit. This is far from the original intent of the program.

The 340B program has grown out of control. In 2023, 340B reached $66 billion in discounts from pharmaceutical manufacturers, making it the second-largest federal drug program. But much is not known about how that money is spent because big hospital systems aren’t required to share those discounts with patients or even explain how they spend the 340B profits that they keep. Most patients aren’t even aware that they are in a 340B hospital or that they will be categorized as a 340B patient.

Big hospital systems extend their ability to profit from 340B pricing by entering into agreements with “contract pharmacies.” In 2009, there were less than 800 contract pharmacies. That number skyrocketed to more than 33,000 in 2023. Recent research shows those contract pharmacies tend to be clustered in wealthier neighborhoods, rather than serving vulnerable populations, which was the program’s intent when established in 1992. Texas 340B hospitals have more than 3,500 contracts with 340B contract pharmacies — including a third with out-of-state pharmacies. Of those in Texas, only 20 percent are in zip codes where the average household income is lower than the state median.

Most Americans — more than 150 million — are on employer-sponsored health plans. They pay a price for 340B discounts, which displace manufacturer rebates on the same drug, raising costs for employers and workers. Health research company IQVIA found that 340B costs Texas employers and workers $353 million annually in lost rebates, including $57 million in costs to the government as a healthcare payer.

Texas policymakers’ response to this large and mystifying program is puzzling. The legislature is considering HB 3265, a bill backed by big tax-exempt hospitals to lock the 340B Program in place and prevent companies from requiring more transparency and accountability for rebates on prescription drugs.

Op-Ed: Rep. Vince Fong: The Valero refinery closure serves as a stark wake-up call that California’s fuel supply is in jeopardy

by Rep. Vince Fong

California’s energy policy is at a breaking point.

Refineries and energy companies around the state are closing not because the market is failing, but because they’ve been regulated into retreat as an instrument of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political ambition.

Recently, Valero announced its intent to close their Bay Area Benicia Refinery, which comes on the heels of Phillip’s 66 Los Angeles-area Refinery declaring its plans to shutter its doors by the end of this year. Coupled with thousands of permits allowing for more domestic energy production floundering in red tape, these calamities are a red-alert warning that California’s energy policies are pushing the state toward a full-blown fuel crisis.

The barrage of executive mandates and regulations aimed at destroying California’s remaining fuel industry show that Democrats are once again more interested in testing out a political exercise than solving real-world issues that impact the ability for Californians to drive their children to school, purchase groceries, and get to work.

Right now, California’s Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) is sitting on more than 1,000 drilling permit applications. Paralyzed by inaction, they’ve approved a shockingly few permits all year. This level of dysfunction is unacceptable and exactly why Congress must demand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reclaim oversight of CalGEM and enforce timely permitting before the state’s energy future is beyond repair.

California has the fifth largest petroleum reserve nationwide, and yet oil extraction has decreased by nearly 217 million barrels in the past five years. Most of California’s oil is imported from countries such as Ecuador, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, creating a reliance on foreign nations that lack the same environmental, health, safety, and labor standards that our nation champions.

While California continues to artificially force fuel producers out of the market, House Republicans are working to restore American energy dominance by ending our nation’s dangerous reliance on foreign energy.