During many half-time speeches, University of Georgia Head Football Coach Mark Richt has inspired his players with just three words: “FINISH THE DRILL”.   Many times, I have gone to the floor of the House of Representatives and demanded that Congress step up and “START THE DRILL.”

Over the Independence Day Recess, I had the pleasure of spending days talking to constituents about soaring energy prices.  I even had the opportunity to pump gas for folks much like I used to do when I was younger.  During those many conversations, people wanted to know why gas prices were not getting lower.

 
For my part, I have consistently signed onto bills that will not only increase our oil supply, but also decrease the price of gas and move toward energy independence for America.

Apparently, Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership have been ignoring their constituents. 

 
The first week back from recess, Nancy Pelosi has not presented the House with a single bill that would reduce gas prices or increase energy production even though the Republicans have given her many, many energy bills to choose from.

 
Instead, she has scheduled votes on trails and emails.

 
The decision on the part of the liberals not to act follows an entire week of meeting with constituents struggling to pay high gas prices, follows the lowest Congressional approval rating of all time (9%), and even occurs after many Democrats have decided to join Republican efforts to lower gas prices.

 
According to The Hill, a newspaper widely circulated in Congressional offices, one Democratic aid even stated that “Right now, our strategy on gas prices is ‘Drive small cars and wait for the wind.’”

 
Elsewhere in The Hill, it was reported that  ...“Worried that a floor vote on any energy-related measure would trigger a Republican-forced vote on domestic drilling, the leadership has scrubbed the floor schedule of the energy legislation that it vowed to tackle after the Fourth of July recess.”

 
I am outraged by this apparent ignorance of the will of the People on the part of Congressional liberals.

 
I support building more refineries, drilling for more oil, and promoting sensible alternatives in order to lower gas prices.

 
For weeks, America has been drilling for ice on Mars, but we cannot even drill for oil in America.  Liberals have not done anything to lower gas prices, but they have not been shy about pointing their fingers at others.

 
First, the liberals said Republicans were at fault, and then they said that the economy was the reason, next they drug the oil executives in front of a committee.  Now, according to today’s Politico newspaper, they are “looking to add another group to that list of gas-pump bad guys: commodity speculators.”

 
Liberal finger-pointing is a sad effort in favor of politics as usual, and does not lower gas prices one cent.

 
Each week the House is in session during the summer driving season, Republicans will file a discharge petition on energy legislation geared at bringing relief to American families struggling to make ends meet and my name will be on each list.

 
I came to Washington D.C. to make positive changes and not play political games.  I want to be the People’s Congressman, and that means voting to lower gas prices and that is what I will continue to do.