Boehner: NO RECESS & Congresswoman Bachmann @ The Conservative Bloggers Briefing

MEGYN KELLY: Republican Congressman and House Minority Leader, from Ohio, John Boehner joins me now. Good morning Congressman.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): Megyn, good morning.

KELLY: Thank you for being here. So, OK, there is a bill that would address some of these issues like drilling offshore. Nancy Pelosi and the House says it’s not going to get a vote before the recess. You don’t think there should be a recess.

BOEHNER: I do not think there should be a recess. The American people want us to do something about a high-price gasoline, the high price of energy. The only way really to effect the price, really is to do all of the above. We need to conserve more, we need biofuels, we need alternative sources of energy, we need nuclear power, and, yes, we need to produce more American made oil and gas in an environmentally-safe way and we can do that. We introduced a bill last week, the American Energy Act. What we’ve been asking the Speaker for eight weeks now is a vote. And we don’t think the Congress ought to go on summer recess at the end of this week without voting on the American energy plan.

KELLY: Your position is you have got the votes to pass this thing, you just cannot get to the House floor because Speaker Pelosi says she is not bringing it.

BOEHNER: I do think we have the votes in both the House and the Senate. But it is Speaker Pelosi, it’s Harry Reid, it’s Barack Obama who want no part of allowing the Congress to work its will on a vote that would produce more American-made oil and gas. They’re absolutely opposed to drilling. They worship at the altar of radical environmentalists. That is why they have been blocking this vote, but the American people can help. All they have to do is call their Member of Congress, their Senator, and say don’t leave until you have a vote on this bill.

KELLY: Here’s what the Speaker said. I have it here so bear with me while I read it. She said when pressed on what she’s not allowing this to go for a vote, “I am trying to save the planet. I am trying to save the planet. I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse,” meaning Republicans, “for their failed policy.” Any response?

BOEHNER: Megyn, for 25 years, Democrats have blocked more American-made oil and gas. That is why we are in the predicament we are in. That is why 70 percent of our energy comes from overseas. And she has time to go out and promote her book tour and her new book, but she does not have time to schedule a vote on the floor of the House and let the American people have their will expressed. I mean, we got elected to Congress to go there and represent our constituents. They want us to vote on more American-made oil and gas. We want to do that. She, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama are standing in the way.

KELLY: You say that number one, this is a defining week for the Congress. But you say that the reason the Democrats are not allowing this to come to a vote is because of, and I quote, “a band of radical special interest groups that support high gas prices.” What do you mean by that?

BOEHNER: Well, if you listen to Barack Obama during the primaries, you know, he didn’t think $5 gas was all that bad. He just was upset that it got there so quickly. And what you’ve got, you’ve got a bunch of radical environmentalists who think that we ought to have higher gasoline prices so that Americans will drive less and that we will wean ourselves off oil by putting cars away. That is not what the American people want. They want a reasonable approach to our energy problems. And the way to do that is to do all of the above. That is the American energy plan.

KELLY: Do you think this is what Congress has such low approval ratings because our viewers are watching this here. You’ve got the votes you think in both Houses to pass this thing. We’re in, some would say we’re in an energy crisis, and you cannot even get a bill to come to a vote on the House floor because, you know, you’re basically getting the thumb of the nose from the Democrats who control things.

BOEHNER: Yes, we have been through this before. It is a legislative way to avoid a vote. They’ve shut down the appropriations process in the House and the Senate because they are afraid that a member may pass a pro-drilling vote on an appropriation bill. They’re trying to run out the clock. We’re only going to be there this week. We’re only there three weeks in September. And they’re hoping to get out of town before anybody notices.

KELLY: I think the American people are going to notice. You’re doing your best to make sure that happens. House Minority Leader John Boehner, thank you for being here.

BOEHNER: Thanks, Megyn.

Today’s guest at the Conservative Bloggers Briefing was Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) who just got back from the leaders American Energy Tour where she said reminded us that the United States largest oil field for the past 31 years has gone from pumping 2.2 million barrels of oil per day down to 700,000 or so. When that number reaches 300,000 the pipeline will cease to operate which, as you can gather means our largest domestic supply will be unusable and we’ll have to get that energy elsewhere! Another fact she pointed out was that right next door is a piece of land that conservative estimates claim hold trillions of barrels of oil and was set aside in the 70’s by President Carter for the express purpose of drill oil, that land is the 1002 region more commenly known as ANWR!

Yesterday, the Congresswoman, participated in an energy debate at Tulane University where to of her Republican colleagues we pitted against 3 Democrat colleagues the result of which the Congresswoman was a whomping by the R’s. After the debate she was flown by helicopter to the largest oil rig in the Gulf and reported a stunning fact that the annual spillage of oil for that rig is 1/4 of a gallon. If your jaw is hanging open right now, you’re not alone. The Congresswoman, I, and I’ll susspect everyone on at the briefing had the same reaction. She reported that she was amazed and comforted at the level of awareness and safety being conducted there, in fact, most of that 1/4 gallon is due to worker’s accidental spillage and sloshing buckets not spillage from extraction!

The Congresswoman was a delight and was extremely knowledgeable on the energy issue.

Also my friends Jordan and Asaf Gal stopped by to tell the group about the 2.0 launch of thier website Primetime Politics so click over when you get a chance. There looking for feedback so If you have any please leave them in the comments section below and I’ll forward them on via email, Thanks!