The cost of filling up your gas tank has gone up about $1 a gallon since Joe Biden was sworn in. Western North Carolinians are paying about $25 more every time they go to the pump than they did in January 2020, when Biden became president. Fuel prices are now at a seven-year high.

It doesn’t have to be this way. America has the largest energy resources in the world. And under President Trump, America became the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas.

From Day One, President Biden declared war on American energy, including shutting down construction of the Keystone XL pipeline – which also cost thousands of American jobs – and banning exploration of oil and gas in the Arctic. He also banned oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

Western North Carolinians are paying the price for the Democrats’ war on American energy. It not only means you’re shelling out more of your hard-earned paycheck at the gas pump, but it also means that America is more dependent than ever on its foreign adversaries.

Congress needs to pursue policies that make America an energy-independent nation once again. These policies were strongly supported by President Trump. Our nation needs to become an energy exporter again, and I will only support energy policies that empower American, not foreign governments.

We don't need to put our country and our livelihoods at risk for liberal energy and climate experiments like the Green New Deal that reward China while hamstringing America. Each of us can do our part, but I will fight any efforts to add more regulations on our businesses and our way of life.