Floor Statements

Tomorrow, the President of the United States will be traveling to the great State of Texas to talk jobs. I am proud that the President recognizes Texas as a leading job-producing State and that he understands what it is to create jobs and retain a robust economy.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article--it's on my chart up here--about the energy boom in Texas. It stated that Texas produces as much oil as the next four oil-producing States combined. The Lone Star State now pumps nearly 2 million barrels a day.

Now, the President's tour only has one stop in Texas, south of Austin, which is unfortunate. I would like to invite the President to come to my energy-rich district along the Texas gulf coast and see what job creation really looks like. If the President wants to create jobs, there is a project--the Keystone pipeline to be exact--that has been waiting 1,692 days to do just that.

I encourage and welcome President Obama to come to my district so he can talk with local business leaders who want the Keystone pipeline.

That's the way it is from where I sit. I'm Randy Weber.

It has been 1,677 days, Mr. Speaker, that have passed since we first started discussing the Keystone pipeline, a project that would create--depending on whose numbers you use--2,000 to 20,000 jobs; $2.05 billion in worker salaries; and $65 million in local tax revenue.

On Friday, I sent a letter to the State Department demanding action on the Keystone pipeline. The project is in the best interest of all Americans. Up to 83,000 barrels of oil per day could be delivered to gulf coast refineries, which is equal to roughly half of the amount of oil we import from the Middle East.

My question for the President and Secretary Kerry is this: What is the holdup? Seventy percent of Americans want this project because they understand that it is a step closer for this country to energy independence and security.

I hope the President and Secretary Kerry are listening because it is time to build this country.

I'm Randy Weber, and I love living in America.

Mr. Speaker, it doesn't seem like good leadership practice for the President to be going around the country reminding Americans that he failed to prevent his own sequestration, but to each his own.

Unfortunately, the President's sequestration is affecting us all. Why should he have shackled us all with the sequestration?

The truth is, the President's inability to lead has shackled us. The truth is, the President has not only a spending problem but a denial problem.

Well, make no mistake, Mr. Speaker. Sequestration is here. I implore the President to come back, work with Congress, and quit campaigning in the media.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 34 I missed the vote because I was meeting with a constituent in my office. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

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