Legislation was passed 226 to 188 by the Republican-controlled House to prevent future administrations from prohibiting oil and gas drilling without the consent of Congress.
The “Protecting American Energy Production Act” was passed by lawmakers in a vote on Friday, which forbids the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”
Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of the legislation’s passage, while 118 Democrats voted against it.
Just weeks before he left office, former President Joe Biden banned future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters, among other oil and gas-related regulations. The bill follows his actions.
The Republican who introduced the bill, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, stated that the legislation was prompted by worries about possible fracking bans during the Biden administration.
“When President Biden took office, his administration took a ‘whole of government’ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,” Pfluger said in a statement following the bill’s passage.
“My legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,” he said.
As part of his “drill, baby, drill” strategy, President Donald Trump has pledged to unleash energy produced in the United States since the campaign trail.
If the president signs the bill into law, it would stop the drilling method from being banned by subsequent administrations.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum launched internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development on Monday, stripping the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans implemented during the Biden administration.
The move in the House came before an alarming video clip showed that Rep. John Larson stopped and seemed to freeze in the middle of his speech on the House floor.
His team said it was an “adverse reaction” to a new medication he was taking.
The 76-year-old Democrat from Connecticut was in the middle of a speech on the House floor about worries about Social Security after the Trump administration sent sensitive payment information to Elon Musk through the US Treasury Department.
He abruptly halted midway through his intended five-minute speech, appearing to be struggling with his words.
“Don’t worry, no one on the Republican side of the House and US Senate who control both the House and Senate is going to speak up—,” Larson said before he abruptly cut himself off, freezing as he stared dead ahead and tried to get his bearings.
“And challenge us…,” Larson slowly continued, his words slurring slightly. “But we need to … protect Americans’ privacy and … their Social Security.”
Larson slowly improved after that, but there was a big difference between how he started and ended. He seemed to lose all motivation as he tried to fight through whatever side effect his medicine might have had.
His office quickly addressed the blip as the clip circulated on X.
“Congressman Larson appreciates the well wishes from everyone who has reached out. This afternoon, he had what was likely an adverse reaction to a new medication and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician out of an abundance of caution,” his team wrote in a statement.
“He later participated in multiple meetings in his office and was alert and engaged. The Congressman remains in touch with his staff and in good spirits,” they added.
WATCH:
A growing number of alarming medical scares from older politicians have been coming from older members of Congress, especially in the Senate, where the average member is about 65 years old, according to the Pew Research Center.
