Washington (October 19, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to offset $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for the super wealthy with $1 billion in revenue from letting drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in their budget resolution. The United States now exports more American crude oil – nearly one million barrels a day – than could ever be produced from drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Senators Markey and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) co-sponsored the amendment to the Republican budget resolution to remove the Arctic drilling provision.
 
“This Republican budget is all about massive handouts to the one percent and huge corporations at the expense of working and middle-class Americans,” said Senator Markey. “And by attaching this Arctic Refuge rider, Republicans are trying to use the budget process to ram through drilling in the crown jewel of America’s Wildlife Refuge System because they know they don’t have the votes to do so through regular order. Republicans are moving forward with a budget that includes this poison pill to hand over the wildest place left in America to Big Oil. This is nothing more than fossil fuel folly.”
 

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