TO SET THE PRICE FOR GASOLINE
BUT HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND
APPARENTLY.
JOINING RIGHT NOW TEXAS
CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL BURGESS,
RULES AND REPUBLICAN STUDY
COMMITTEES, HE’S ALSO A MEDICAL
DOCTOR HIMSELF, CONGRESSMAN,
YOUR REACTION TO THE PRESIDENT
CONTINUING TO TRY TO ATTACK OIL
COMPANIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS
HURRICANE?
>> YEAH, IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE
WHY SOMEONE ADVISED HIM TO GO IN
THAT DIRECTION.
HE MUST THINK THAT THE OIL
COMPANY EXECUTIVES SIT AROUND
CABINET TABLE AND COLLUDE.
IT DOESN’T HAPPEN.
THEY ARE THERE TO SELL A
PRODUCT, THEY’RE HAD A PRETTY
GOOD YEAR FOR THEIR PRODUCT, WE
ARE GRATEFUL THEY’VE HAD A
PRETTY GOOD YEAR FOR THEIR
PRODUCT.
THEY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO
PUMP MORE AND THE PROTECTION
AGAINST PRICE GOUGING EXISTS AT
THE LEVEL OF STATE ATTORNEY’S
GENERAL AND EVERY STATE THAT IS
THOSE LAWS THAT PREVENT THAT
FROM HAPPENING.
MARIA: WELL, IT’S EXTRAORDINARY
TO ME HOW UNPREPARED THIS TEAM
APPEARS, I MEAN, WHETHER IT’S
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS COMMENTS
ATTACKING DIFFERENT GROUPS
TRYING TO DIVIDE THE COUNTRY OR
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS.
SHE TOURED THE BORDER JUST NOT
OUR SOUTHERN BORDER BUT WENT TO
KOREAN PENINSULA AND THE
DEMILITARIZED ZONE AND MADE
UNFORTUNATE GAFFE.
WATCH WHAT SHE SAID YESTERDAY AT
THE DMZ.
>> SO THE UNITED STATES SHARES A
VERY IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP
WHICH IS AN ALLIANCE WITH THE
REPUBLIC OF NORTH KOREA AND IT
IS AN ALLIANCE THAT’S STRONG AND
ENDURING.
MARIA: AN ALLIANCE THAT IS
STRONG AND ENDURING WITH NORTH
KOREA, CONGRESSMAN?
WHAT IS SHE SAYING?
>> THE POLITICAL SITUATION HAS
EXISTED SINCE 5952 SO I GUESS IT
IS ENDURING BUT IT’S HARDLY ONE
THAT WE WOULD WANT TO -- TO
POINT TO AS A SUCCESS.
LOOK, MAYBE WE ARE -- MAYBE I’M
GLAD SHE NEVER WENT TO THE
SOUTHERN BORDER IF THAT’S THE --
IF THAT’S THE LEVEL OF EXPERTISE
THAT SHE’S GOING TO BRING.
BUT YOU’RE RIGHT, THE LEVEL OF
LACK OF PREPAREDNESS AND, LACK,
I KNOW YOU SHOULDN’T BLAME YOUR
STAFF BUT I DO HAVE TO QUESTION
WHERE IS THE -- WHERE ARE THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE
HELPING THE PEOPLE THAT WE
ELECTED, CLEARLY THE PEOPLE THAT
WE ELECTED WEREN’T READY, WHERE
ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE SUPPOSED
TO BE MINDING THE MINDERS?
MARIA: DAGEN MCDOWELL, YOU TO
JUMP IN HERE.
I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN A
VICE PRESIDENT AS UNPREPARED AS
KAMALA HARRIS AND I DON’T SAY
THAT WITH ANY GLEE, OKAY.
THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS
SITUATION THAT WE ARE WITNESSING
AS OUR ADVERSARIES ARE
WITNESSING AS WELL.
DAGEN: DID THEY SEND HER TO THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET TRYING
TO GET HER OUT OF SIGHT BECAUSE
EVEN THAT SUNT WORK AND THE
EMBARRASSMENT SEEM TO FOLLOW HER
AROUND THE GLOBE.
SO I WANTED TO POINT OUT TOO
WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN THE
EMBARRASSMENT BACK HERE AT HOME.
HE TALKED ABOUT AND CASTIGATED
OIL COMPANIES FOR THE SECOND DAY
IN A ROW.
THE OIL COMPANIES DON’T HAVE
ANYTHING TO DO DIRECTLY WITH THE
PRICE OF GASOLINE AT MOM AND POP
SHOP.
YOU KNOW, THE PATH OF A STORM.
60% OF GASOLINE STATIONS ARE
OWNED BY INDEPENDENT OPERATORS
AND JOE BIDEN HAS TO KNOW THAT
BUT HE NEVER MISSES A CHANCE TO
GO AFTER AND TARGET AND VILIFY
BUSINESSES AT THE SAME TIME 1984
IS THE LAST TIME THAT THE
STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE HAD
SO LITTLE OIL IN IT THAT’S
SUPPOSED TO BE FOR EMERGENCY
SHORTAGES BUT INSTEAD HE WAS
SPENDING IT, SPENDING DOWN THAT
OIL FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES ALL
SUMMER.
MARIA: YEAH, YEAH.
GO AHEAD, CONGRESSMAN.
CONGRESSMAN: ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE
EXIST FOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY,
NOT FOR POLITICAL EMERGENCY BUT
THAT’S WHAT IT WAS EXPENDED FOR
AND NOW YOU HAVE TO ASK THE
QUESTION WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH
THE DOLLARS THAT THEY RECEIVED
FROM SELLING OFF THE OIL FROM
THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE.
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
GOING TO HOLD ONTO THOSE TO BUY
NEW OIL OR GO OFF IN SOME OTHER
DIRECTION.
THIS IS A TERRIBLE SITUATION.
AND ACTUALLY CONGRESS HAS A ROLE
HERE WITH THE -- WITH THE
OVERSIGHT, THE PETROLEUM
RESERVE, TWO YEARS AGO SENATOR
CORNYN TRIED TO GET THE RSP
FILLED UP AND DEMOCRATS IN
CHARGE WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO DO
THAT.
MARIA: YEAH, AND I KNOW THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP LED FILLING THAT
RESERVE AT LOW PRICES AS WELL
BUT NOW WE ARE AT DANGEROUSLY
LOW LEVELS.
I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE FOR CRISES AND HE’S SELLING
IT TO PLACES LIKE CHINA.
LOOK, CONGRESSMAN, I KNOW THAT
YOU’VE GOT SOME MAJOR ISSUES
GOING ON IN WASHINGTON IN THE
SHORT-TERM BUDGET BILL IS HEADED
TO THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE NEXT
TODAY AFTER PASSING THE SENATE
YESTERDAY.
MUST BE PASSED BY MIDNIGHT, 6
REPUBLICAN LED STATES ARE SUING
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR THE
STUDENT LOAN BAILOUT AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SAYS IT
WILL NOT FORGIVE STUDENT LOAN
DEBT OWNING BY PRIVATE AND
ENTITIES AND THEY ARE PICKING
AND CHOOSING WHO WILL HAVE THE
STUDENT LOAN BAILOUT.
GETTING THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN TAPPED STUDENT LOAN
BAILOUT, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO
VOTE ON THIS BILL?
>> I WILL VOTE NO.
IT’S IOU BECAUSE APPROPRIATIONS
THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE ALL YEAR
HAS NOT YET OCCURRED AND YET
THERE ARE SOME FUNDING STREAMS
IN THE IOU, FOR EXAMPLE, ALMOST
$2 BILLION IS GOING INTO
LAW-INCOME HOME ENERGY
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UP IN THE
NORTHEAST.
OKAY, GOOD ENOUGH, IT MAY BE A
BAD WINTER BUT HERE IS THE
PROBLEM BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T DONE
THE PIPELINE PERMITTING, THAT
ENERGY IS GOING TO BE BOUGHT
FROM RUSSIA.
SO WE ARE FUNDING -- WE ARE
FUNDING ON ENEMIES ON THIS BILL.
$2 BILLION THAT’S GOING TO GO
FOR HELPING CHILDREN WHO HAVE
COME INTO THIS COUNTRY ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN BORDER BUT NOT A
DIME TO REPAY TEXAS FOR ALL OF
THE WORK THEY’VE DONE ON -- ON
DEFENDING THE SOUTHERN BORDER
WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS
-- WAS ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PROBLEMS
IN THIS BILL BUT HERE IS THE
BOTTOM LINE, WE SHOULD HAVE DONE
OUR APPROPRIATIONS THE CORRECT
WAY AND IF THERE IS A POLITICAL
CHANGE AT LEAST ON THE HOUSE
SIDE NEXT YEAR, MY HOPE IS THAT
WE WILL DO OUR APPROPRIATIONS
WORK, WE WILL DO IT ON TIME, WE
WILL HAVE THE NORMAL DEBATES AND
LET MEMBERS PARTICIPATE.
WE DIDN’T EVEN SEE THE BILL
UNTIL 6:00 O’CLOCK YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON WHEN WE HAD IT UP IN
THE RULES COMMITTEE.
MARIA: WELL THAT’S TYPICAL.
THEY ARE SENDING YOU THE BILL
HOURS BEFORE THEY WANT YOU TO
SIGN IT AND VOTE ON IT.
>> THAT’S CORRECT.
MARIA: CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.