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Chairman Cole Opening Remarks on H.R. 7160 and H. Res. 987

February 1, 2024

As prepared for delivery:

Good morning. I want to thank you all for being here on short notice.

Today’s hearing covers two items.

First, we will be taking up the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act. For certain districts around the country, this marriage penalty negatively impacts a great many families, and is therefore a top priority for our colleagues representing them. I look forward to the discussion from our witnesses on this issue, including from our friend Mr. Lawler, who represents one of the districts most affected by this policy.

We will also take up H. Res. 987, a resolution denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden Administration. Last week, President Biden announced that his administration would halt permitting for new liquified natural gas, or LNG, export facilities. This is just the latest in a long string of policy actions taken by President Biden that will set back American energy independence, damage the economy, and hurt the American people.

Natural gas is a critical part of the American economy. This is especially true in my home state of Oklahoma, which is the fifth-largest natural gas-producing state in the country, with nearly three hundred and fifty thousand jobs in the state tied to natural gas production.

For my constituents, supporting natural gas production is not an academic exercise. It is how hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans feed, clothe, and shelter themselves and their families. The same is true for countless Americans nationwide who make their living in the energy sector, and I look forward to joining my colleagues in denouncing President Biden’s harmful energy policies.

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