For Immediate
Release: August 16, 2005
Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee
Senator Corn Playing Politics With Fuel
Prices
Senate Republican Leader Glenn
Coffee said Tuesday that Senator Kenneth
Corn has joined liberal national Democrats in an effort to
politicize rising fuel prices – and said Corn tried using
a make-believe Senate vote on the issue in an effort to score
partisan political points.
Corn issued a partisan news release Tuesday calling
on President George W. Bush and Congress to address rising fuel
prices.
In the first version of his release, Corn falsely
claimed in his news release that during the last legislative session
Senate Republicans opposed a resolution he authored asking Congress
and President Bush to provide relief to rising gasoline prices.
In fact, no such resolution was introduced by Corn – let
alone voted on by the Senate. Corn later revised the news release,
removing his false reference to a Senate vote on the issue.
“National Democrats may be able to get away
with playing fast and loose with the truth – but here in
Oklahoma we want our elected officials to tell the truth. Sen.
Corn owes State Senate Republicans an apology for trying to use
a non-existent, make-believe vote in his lust to score political
points,” Coffee said.
“Every Oklahoman is feeling the pinch of rising
fuel prices. This is not a partisan issue. If Sen. Corn wants
to be effective in reducing gasoline prices, perhaps he should
contact his fellow Democrats in the U.S. Congress and urge them
to end their opposition to more domestic oil and gas drilling
to ease gas prices and help reduce our nation’s dependence
on foreign oil,” Coffee said.
Two resolutions were filed during the legislative
calling on Congress to investigate high fuel prices, but neither
were authored or co-authored by Corn and neither received a vote
on the Senate floor. SR 17 by Sen. Daisy Lawler was reported Do
Pass by the Senate Energy and Environment Committee on April 21,
but it was never brought to the Senate floor for a vote. HR 1015
by Rep. Jerry Shoemake was assigned to the House Rules Committee
and did not receive a hearing.
For
more information contact:
Senate Republican
Leadership Assistant's Office - (405) 521-5654
