A number of Republicans have fled from a $5 billion bill to boost natural gas subsidies, but at a time when the party has been talking a big game about reducing government waste, sadly, 73 House Republicans are still backing the measure.
The NAT GAS Act would offer tax subsidies of up to $7,500 for standard passenger cars and $64,000 for large trucks that are capable of using natural gas. On top of this, gas stations that install natural gas pumps could be eligible for credits as high as $100,000.
Billionaire energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens has been pushing the legislation hard, and it’s no surprise that the bill’s co-sponsors are heavily concentrated in states with large natural gas reserves such as Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. The bill’s lead sponsor is Oklahoma Republican Rep. John Sullivan.
On the flip side, the bill is being heavily fought by chemical companies, fertilizer makers and other businesses that currently produce products that use natural gas, because diverting more of it to be used as transportation fuel would hike the price. It would also boost costs for those who use natural gas to heat their homes.
In addition, Club for Growth President Chris Chocola has pointed out that a provision in the law implicitly concedes the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate carbon.
To be clear, the important issue raised by this proposal isn’t whether to be on the side of one industry or another. The salient point is that big government should be fought in all its forms. Sometimes it’s about opposing massive government spending, but other times it’s about exposing attempts to lard up the tax code with special interest carve outs.
It’s disapponting to see that even Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., the libertarian, has co-sponsored the bill in keeping with his support for tax credits, which he sees as tax cuts. However, one of the strongest arguments for why we should have lower taxes in the first place is that individuals should be able to decide how their own money is spent rather than forking it over to politicans to spend it for them. Tax credits represent Congress telling the American people, “We’re going to tax you less if you spend your money the way we want you to.” And ultimately, tax credits such as these drive up tax rates for everybody else.
If Republicans are serious about changing Washington, they need to be working on eliminating special interest subsidies and streamlining the tax code, not creating new handouts to big business and further complicating the tax code.
Below, I’ve pasted a list of all the Republicans who are currently listed as co-sponsors of the bill, followed by those who have withdrawn their support.
Sponsor:
Rep Sullivan, John [OK-1] (introduced 4/6/2011)
Co-sponsors:
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] – 4/6/2011
Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] – 4/6/2011
Rep Barletta, Lou [PA-11] – 4/15/2011
Rep Barton, Joe [TX-6] – 4/6/2011
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] – 4/6/2011
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] – 4/6/2011
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 4/6/2011
Rep Bonner, Jo [AL-1] – 4/12/2011
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] – 4/6/2011
Rep Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [LA-7] – 4/6/2011
Rep Brady, Kevin [TX-8] – 4/6/2011
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] – 4/6/2011
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] – 4/7/2011
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 4/7/2011
Rep Cassidy, Bill [LA-6] – 4/14/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 5/24/2011
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] – 4/6/2011
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] – 4/6/2011
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] – 4/6/201
Rep Denham, Jeff [CA-19] – 4/14/2011
Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] – 4/7/2011
Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [PA-8] – 5/26/2011
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] – 4/6/2011
Rep Forbes, J. Randy [VA-4] – 5/11/2011
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] – 5/12/2011
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] – 4/6/2011
Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] – 4/8/2011
Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1] – 4/14/2011
Rep Granger, Kay [TX-12] – 5/24/2011
Rep Grimm, Michael G. [NY-13] – 4/6/2011
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] – 4/6/2011
Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] – 4/6/2011
Rep Hunter, Duncan D. [CA-52] – 4/14/2011
Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49] – 4/6/2011
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 4/6/2011
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] – 4/7/2011
Rep Landry, Jeffrey M. [LA-3] – 4/7/2011
Rep Lankford, James [OK-5] – 4/6/2011
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [OH-14] – 4/14/2011
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] – 4/6/2011
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] – 4/6/2011
Rep Lungren, Daniel E. [CA-3] – 4/14/2011
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] – 4/6/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 4/15/2011
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] – 4/6/2011
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] – 4/14/2011
Rep Meehan, Patrick [PA-7] – 4/15/2011
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] – 4/14/2011
Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18] – 4/6/2011
Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] – 4/7/2011
Rep Olson, Pete [TX-22] – 4/8/2011
Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14] – 4/15/2011
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] – 4/14/2011
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] – 4/14/2011
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] – 4/14/2011
Rep Reed, Tom [NY-29] – 4/13/2011
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] – 4/6/2011
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] – 4/6/2011
Rep Rogers, Mike J. [MI-8] – 5/13/2011
Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] – 4/7/2011
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] – 4/6/2011
Rep Scott, Austin [GA-8] – 4/8/2011
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] – 4/6/2011
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] – 4/6/2011
Rep Simpson, Michael K. [ID-2] – 4/6/2011
Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] – 4/8/2011
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 4/6/2011
Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13] – 4/7/2011
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] – 5/12/2011
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] – 4/12/2011
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] – 4/7/2011
Rep Young, Don [AK] – 4/14/2011
Withdrawn support:
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] – 4/6/2011(withdrawn – 5/26/2011)
Rep Gardner, Cory [CO-4] – 4/6/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Rigell, E. Scott [VA-2] – 4/7/2011(withdrawn – 6/16/2011)
Rep Tipton, Scott [CO-3] – 4/7/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Kline, John [MN-2] – 4/7/2011(withdrawn – 6/14/2011)
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 4/12/2011(withdrawn – 5/26/2011)
Rep Kelly, Mike [PA-3] – 4/12/2011(withdrawn – 6/14/2011)
Rep Bucshon, Larry [IN-8] – 4/13/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Pearce, Stevan [NM-2] – 4/14/2011(withdrawn – 5/10/2011)
Rep Farenthold, Blake [TX-27] – 4/15/2011(withdrawn – 6/16/2011)
Rep Nugent, Richard [FL-5] – 4/15/2011(withdrawn – 6/16/2011)
Rep Coffman, Mike [CO-6] – 5/3/2011(withdrawn – 6/13/2011)
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] – 5/12/2011(withdrawn – 5/23/2011)
Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16] – 6/3/2011(withdrawn – 6/22/2011)
