Dear Friend: 

All of us know that Georgia families, businesses, and farms are being hit hard by sky-high gasoline and diesel prices.  It is the number one issue I continue to hear about when I travel the state.  Day after day, gasoline prices get higher and higher without Congress taking any serious action.  So I am asking for your help.

This week on the Senate floor I read some correspondence from Georgians who have told me how high gas prices are impacting their lives.

To watch my floor remarks where I read some of these letters, click here. 

I’d like to keep sharing these personal stories with my colleagues in the Senate so they can better understand how real people in Georgia are coping with these escalating costs. Georgia families cannot ignore rising gasoline prices, and your stories could help convince Washington lawmakers to stop ignoring this crisis.

If you'd be willing to share your story also, please take a few minutes to send me an e-mail with a paragraph or two.

My e-mail address is Saxby_Chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov.  You can also contact me toll free at 1-800-234-4208 and express your views or send a letter to one of my office addresses.

Please include your name, address, and a phone number or email address where my office can reach you if I have any questions.  I'm going to continue to share some of these stories on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

This year alone, the average American family will spend more than $200 a month on gasoline.  That's about $50 more each month than last year, and for all the driving we do around Georgia, everyone is feeling the pinch.  Congress should not be sitting on the sidelines while Georgians are paying the price at the pump, and I hope together we can spur some real action on this issue.

Nobody disputes the fact that the U.S. is dependent on foreign sources of oil.  We currently import 60% of our oil, and nobody disputes that this problem has been in the making for decades, and over the past 30 years, the United States has reduced our domestic drilling options and left our refining capacity stagnant.

Obviously this is a complex issue and requires a multi-pronged strategy to respond. The price of gasoline reflects the principles of supply and demand. Asian economies continue to boom, creating soaring demand for oil.  At the same time, many oil producing regions are curbing output. These factors create a perfect storm that leads to historic highs for the price of crude oil and the resulting prices at the pump today.

I want to make sure you are aware of some of the measures I am supporting that I believe can make a difference in both the short and long term.  I am supporting Senator John McCain’s proposal to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This tax costs Americans 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel.  While the suspension of the federal gas tax will not ultimately solve our problem of high gas prices, it will give Americans immediate relief during the busiest travel season of the year.  Importantly, this legislation will not disturb the Highway Trust Fund, which pays to build and maintain our roads, and ensures it remains whole by transferring funds from the General Treasury. I am disappointed that the Senate Majority leaders have not allowed us to move forward with this proposal.

I am also supporting efforts to increase domestic oil and gas production, including proposals to make areas of the Outer Continental Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) more accessible to oil and gas leasing activities and also promote the exploration of oil shale.  We have the technology to access these domestic supplies in environmentally friendly ways.

It is unfortunate to think that we could be using some of this oil today had President Bill Clinton not vetoed legislation Congress passed in 1995. Even though oil and gas could not be extracted from ANWR in the near-term, it would signal that the U.S. is willing to increase our domestic production, and thereby drive down the price of oil on the world market.

The bottom line is that the rising cost of fuel is a problem we cannot solve by drilling alone or by conservation alone. We must take common-sense action to increase our domestic supply of oil by drilling where we know there are resources available and encouraging the development of alternative fuels, like cellulosic ethanol, to decrease our reliance on foreign oil.

To read a recent article in the Albany Herald, “Chambliss has plan for energy,” click here.  [note: this is a non-Senate website].

OTHER LEGISLATIVE ITEMS OF INTEREST

There are a few other items I want to share with you from the last few weeks.  The Senate recently debated a number of issues including climate change legislation, Medicare legislation, the 2009 budget resolution, energy legislation, as well as various judicial nominations. 

Climate Change Legislation

Climate change is a critical issue that is important not only to this generation but future generations.  One of the greatest challenges to implementing any climate bill will be to ensure that it protects American jobs and does not stymie economic growth.  When the Senate recently debated the Lieberman-Warner-Boxer Climate Security Act of 2008, I expressed my concern that this particular bill would negatively impact families by imposing higher energy costs and forcing American businesses to move to countries with more lenient environmental regulations.  To watch my floor speech on this issue, click here. 

Medicare Legislation

Countless Georgia seniors depend on Medicare, and pending physicians fee cuts that would go into effect July 1 are certainly concerning.  While we need a more permanent solution so doctors don’t have to worry about having to lay off employees or denying Medicare patients altogether, it is important that we work in a bipartisan manner to reach a temporary solution for doctors’ reimbursements in the meantime.

Unfortunately, I believe the Medicare bill put forth in the Senate this past week would negatively impact Georgia seniors and would drastically cut Medicare Advantage plans if it were implemented, which is why I voted against moving forward with debate on the bill.  Instead, I am supporting an alternative measure, the “Preserving Access to Medicare Act of 2008,” introduced by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that would replace the scheduled physicians fee cut with a 1.1 percent increase but does not make drastic cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.

Medicare Advantage saves beneficiaries an average of $86 per month compared to premiums in traditional fee-for-service Medicare, and 138,000 Georgians benefit from this program.

Doctors and seniors deserve a serious and responsible effort that addresses the impending fee cut without playing politics and creating a major expansion of entitlement spending.  It is my hope that Congress will work toward a bipartisan agreement that will provide doctors with the relief they need before July 1.

Video of my floor speech on this issue should be available soon, please check back here early next week. 

Fiscal Year 2009 Budget

The Senate recently passed the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution conference report, which serves as a nonbinding blueprint for Congress when it decides how to appropriate federal dollars later in the year.  Unfortunately, this budget, which was drafted by the Senate Majority, was packed with heavy spending as well as a $1.2 trillion tax increase - the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

I voted against this budget, because I believe it is irresponsible to add burden to taxpayers whose family budgets are already stretched thin due to the rising costs of fuel.  The people of Georgia and all taxpayers expect their dollars to be used wisely, and they expect Congress to be more efficient and more productive.  A tax and spend approach will only add further strain to Georgia families in the long run. 

WATCH THE SENATE FLOOR! I have added a feature to my Senate website which allows you to watch the U.S. Senate via C-SPAN. This feature can be found at the bottom of my homepage under “More Senate Information.” Check it out! www.chambliss.senate.gov  

Thank you for staying in touch with me on the issues concerning you and your family. Should you ever need assistance please do not hesitate to contact my office toll free at 1-800-234-4208.

 From The Saxby Chambliss newsletter June 13, 2008.