02.27.25

Senate Republicans Are Dismantling Biden’s Costly Energy Agenda

“The price of pretty much everything that you buy is affected by the cost of energy… Well, this week, we’re going to be focusing on trying to drive down the cost of energy in this country – which, by the way, in the last four years, under the Biden administration, energy increased 30 percent… Think about that and the impact that has on the American people’s pocketbooks. They understand and get this issue. They agree with us.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

AS PART OF REPUBLICANS’ COMMITMENT TO BRING DOWN PRICES, THE SENATE IS OVERTURNING COSTLY BIDEN-ERA ENERGY REGULATIONS

  • Senate and House Republicans voted this week “on legislation to undo a range of Biden-era rules, teeing up their first major steps toward rolling back the previous administration’s regulatory agenda.” (Politico: House, Senate GOP to begin undoing Biden regulations – 2/21/25)
  • The Senate voted to overturn “a Biden administration regulation hampering domestic energy production… Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy sponsored the resolution, which sought to repeal a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) rule handicapping offshore oil and gas production.” Forty-four Senate Democrats voted against overturning the rule. (S.J. Res. 11: Roll Call Vote #92 – 2/25/25; The Daily Caller: Senate Dems Obstruct GOP Effort To Remove Biden’s Handcuffs On American Energy – 2/25/25)
    • “[T]hey said: Look, we know we have surveyed the entire gulf… But every time you drill a new well, we want you to survey again. Well, why? I mean, what is the benefit? We know what the cost is. It costs anywhere from $10,000 to $1 million to resurvey again.” – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)
  • The Senate also passed Sen. John Hoeven’s (R-N.D.) resolution to “block implementation of the Biden administration’s Natural Gas Tax,” also known as the methane fee, “which was passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend legislation in 2022.” Every Senate Democrat voted against overturning the rule. (Senate Republican Cloakroom: Tweet – 2/27/25; Sen. Hoeven: Hoeven, Pfluger Continue Efforts to Block Biden’s Natural Gas Tax, Alleviate Burden on U.S. Domestic Energy Production – 2/4/25)
    • “And in the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats put a tax on methane, on natural gas. So essentially, what the CRA, Congressional Review Act, resolution that I'm putting forward does is it repeals that tax on natural gas… We have the best environmental standards in the world. And so the solution for the Democrats is to tax it, get less of it, and get it from countries with worse environmental standards? Beyond ridiculous.” – Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.)

EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT TRIED TO STOP PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACTIONS TO LOWER PRICES

“Senate Democrats are yet again attempting to block President Trump’s efforts to secure cheaper, more reliable energy — just when America needs it most. Their message to families is clear: pay more, expect less… Senate Republicans won’t let Democrats delay and obstruct any longer and will ensure the President has the tools necessary to deliver the results the American people expect.” – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah)

  • Republicans unanimously voted against Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Martin Heinrich’s (D-N.M.) joint resolution that sought “to ‘terminate’ Trump’s national emergency declaration that ordered agencies to boost energy domestic production and infrastructure,” ignoring the harm caused by the Biden administration’s failed energy policies. Every Senate Democrat voted to go back to President Biden’s anti-energy policies. (S.J. Res. 10: Roll Call Vote #95 – 2/26/25; The Daily Wire: Senate GOP Fights Dems To Preserve Trump’s Day-One Energy Emergency Declaration – 2/25/25)
  • During President Biden’s time in office:
    • Offshore permits dropped to a two-decade low.
    • Offshore drilling leases were limited to three, down from 47 during the first Trump administration.
    • Offshore drilling was banned across more than 625 million acres of ocean. (Fox News: Offshore oil and gas permitting plummets to 2-decade low under Biden – 10/12/23; U.S. Department of the Interior: President Biden Takes Action to Protect America’s Coastlines from Future Oil and Gas Leasing – 1/6/25; CBS News: Biden bans new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters – 1/6/25)

TIRED OF HIGH PRICES, AMERICANS SUPPORT REPUBLICANS’ PRO-ENERGY AGENDA

  • Sens. Kaine and Heinrich claimed that President Trump’s national energy emergency declaration would “leave American consumers with fewer choices and higher bills.” But under President Biden –  who pledged to “end fossil fuel” – energy, gasoline, electricity, and natural gas prices all skyrocketed:
    • Energy prices increased by 30.54%.
    • Gasoline prices increased by 30.50%.
    • Electricity prices increased by 28.55%.
    • Natural gas prices increased by 33.30%. (Fox News: EXCLUSIVE: Trump warns major Dem against move that could cost voters trillions – 2/25/25; The Associated Press: In intimate moment, Biden vows to ‘end fossil fuel’ – 9/6/19; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index News Release – 2/10/21; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index News Release – 1/15/25)
  • “Despite the Senate Democrats’ rhetoric, recent polls have shown that [the] American people favor Trump’s energy dominance policies.” (Breitbart: Senate Democrats Move to Block Trump Order for ‘Cheaper, More Reliable’ Energy – 2/25/25)
  • 57% of Americans support “[e]nding bans on offshore drilling in Alaska and elsewhere.” (Harvard-Harris Poll – Feb. 2025)