Today, the U.S. Senate defeated a Democratic measure that would have repealed tax breaks for big oil companies.
The Senate voted 51-47, mainly along party lines, to defeat the legislation sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
The bill needed to hit the 60-vote threshold to pass and avert a Republican filibuster.
Its failure was anticipated, but the rhetoric throughout this week gives lawmakers an opportunity to point the finger about what the other party is doing to stave off increasing gas prices.
The vote came mere minutes after President Barack Obama implored Congress to pass the bill, although surely he knew it was never going to happen.
“It’s like hitting the American people twice,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden this morning. “You’re already paying a premium at the pump right now. And on top of that, Congress thinks it’s a good idea to send billions more of your tax dollars to the oil industry?”
The average price for a gallon of gas nationwide has risen to $3.92 as of Thursday morning, according to AAA. That’s up over 20 cents from just one month ago.
Related articles
- U.S. Senate moves forward on bill to eliminate tax breaks for five largest oil companies (newsok.com)
- Contact your senators and tell them to repeal subsidies for Big Oil (dailykos.com)
- GOP Smells Gas Price Victory, Votes To Debate Big Oil Subsidies (huffingtonpost.com)
Get Blippitt via RSS feed, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
and be sure to get our Daily Email Broadcast.
