Sparks Fly As Joe Neguse Presses Harriet Hageman If Her Town Hall Attendees Care About Gulf Of America Renaming

Forbes Breaking News

At today's House Rules Committee hearing, Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) argued about whether her constituents care about renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your courtesy, and thank you, Ms. Hageman and Ms. Hoyle,

00:07for being here and for your testimony. I appreciate you all coming before the Rules Committee.

00:12Ms. Hageman, I thought I want to perhaps spend a bit of time unpacking some of the conversation

00:18you just had with Mr. Norman. We both represent western states, Rocky Mountain West, of course,

00:24some congressional neighbors, if you will. I represent northwestern Colorado, as you know,

00:30a long border with Wyoming. And I understand that you held a town hall pretty recently in Wyoming.

00:37I don't know if I... Ten of them. What was that? Ten. Ten of them. Town halls. I am curious.

00:44So you've held a lot of them, way more than a lot of your colleagues on that side of the aisle,

00:48I will say. So I appreciate that. I've held ten as well, my district. But I'm wondering,

00:54what are you hearing at those town halls? What do folks... I mean, just give us a sense of the

00:59flavor of what folks are concerned about in the state of Wyoming. They're concerned about energy

01:05production, making sure that we get back to energy independence, which is part of the reason why I

01:10think it's so important to rename this to Gulf of America. In light of the amount of production,

01:16it accounts for about 15 percent of our oil and gas production in the country. So that's one of the

01:21big issues that you hear wherever you go, whether you're in town halls or meetings,

01:25is the importance protecting our energy industry. I hear a lot about ensuring that we are implementing

01:31the agenda and the policies that Donald Trump ran on. Okay. This being one of them. I think people are...

01:38So wait, can I just ask you a question on that? Let me just make sure I... Because I understood the

01:42first part. You said energy dominance, protecting the energy industry is something you hear from

01:47folks that you represent in Wyoming, and I appreciate that. And then you said implementing

01:52President Trump's policy. So you're saying that there are people at your town halls who were

01:56demanding that you rename the Gulf of Mexico? I think it's across the entire board.

02:01Has that come up at any of your town halls? Actually, it has. It has? Yes, and it's also come up in

02:06the meetings that I've had with people. The people of Wyoming were demanding that you rename the Gulf of

02:09Mexico? You used the word demand. Oh, asking. Very few people come to me and demand anything.

02:14Well, I guess I would love to... What people say is that they want us to implement the agenda that

02:19Donald Trump ran on. And that includes renaming the Gulf of Mexico? Because it has to do with

02:22pride in America and what America stands for. Representative, I would just simply say...

02:27Well, you can argue with me as much as you'd like to. I'm not talking about an argument. I would love

02:30to attend one of the... I would welcome you to attend one of my town halls. I am asking you an honest

02:35question, and you're welcome to answer it any way you'd like. You're telling me and this committee

02:43that at one of your town halls... I have said at my town halls and meetings... Let me finish my

02:47question. At town halls and my meetings... You'll have an opportunity to answer. Okay. Let me finish my

02:51question. You've held 10 town halls... Yes. ...across Wyoming. Yes. And at those town halls, Wyoming

02:58residents, constituents have said to you, I would like you to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Has that

03:04happened? Yes. That has happened? At the meetings that I have held, as I have said, as I have said to you

03:09repeatedly now, I not only am holding town halls, I'm holding meetings with my constituents. Sure. The

03:14entire agenda that President Trump ran on, they've talked to me about no taxes on tips. That's not...

03:20I'm not asking you about no taxes on tips. They've talked to me... They've talked to me... They've talked to me about...

03:22That's not the bill that you're here testifying about. ...remening the Gulf of America. The bill...

03:25They have talked to me about the oil and gas development that we have down there. Well...

03:31I think it's a shame. They have talked about exporting energy out of the Gulf of America. I'll reclaim my time because I think it's a shame.

03:35And I would... So you're calling me... I think what you're saying is you don't believe what I'm saying. Hang on. Hang on.

03:39I'm saying that I would love to come to a town hall and so I'll certainly look forward to...

03:43What we may do is we may just consider doing a town hall up in Wyoming myself so that I can get a better sense

03:49from Republicans, Democrats, unaffiliated people of Wyoming as to what their priorities are. My sense is

03:57I don't... I'm not disagreeing with you that there are many folks in Wyoming who believe

04:03that the Congress ought to be pursuing policies that President Trump supports. What I am suggesting

04:08is that I find it a little bit unbelievable that of all the issues that the American people are

04:15dealing with, that my constituents are dealing with, that your constituents are dealing with,

04:19that at these town halls, renaming the Gulf of Mexico was a top priority. I suspect that the people

04:25of your state... One of the things that you're ignoring... I'm not done talking. I'll have...

04:28You'll have an opportunity to respond. I don't believe that the people in your state,

04:33nor the people in mine, would identify renaming the Gulf of Mexico as their top priority. And I just...

04:39I find it absurd that we have to engage in this discussion to act as though this is anything but

04:48abnormal. That this is sort of just regular order. That yes, in the first four months of the 119th

04:55Congress, the Republican majority has decided that this is so important that we ought to take floor

05:00time to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Notwithstanding all of the other policies that I suspect many of your

05:08supporters, many of the citizens that you represent, are passionate about. I just... I find that hard

05:14to believe. And apparently I'm the only one, or at least you and I disagree about this, but I suspect my

05:19colleagues, maybe on this side of the aisle, concur in that assessment. But anyway, I am happy to give

05:23you an opportunity to respond. So one of the things, Mr. Nagus, that you are ignoring is the fact that the

05:28state of Wyoming and my constituents in Wyoming have a very close connection to the Gulf of America,

05:34because we are one of the largest energy producers in the nation. We are the largest coal producer,

05:38we're the eighth largest oil and gas producer. Our resources, our oil and gas and coal are actually

05:45exported out of the Gulf of America. So it is something that is at the forefront of the minds

05:51of the people in the state of Wyoming. I also want to point out one thing. What does this bill do to help

05:55them? I want to point out one other thing that you did, which is a very clever trick,

05:59which is that you asked me if I'd been asked any questions and I told you that I had. And when

06:05you did your soliloquy there at the end, you accused me of being dishonest and disingenuous by

06:11then converting that to being the top priority. I didn't say that it was the top priority, but I did

06:18say that I was asked questions and there has been discussions, not only in the meetings that I've held,

06:26but when I have met with people who actually have a direct connection to the Gulf of America.

06:31So I think what you're trying to imply is that Wyoming has no interest in the Gulf of America,

06:36when in fact the state of Wyoming with our energy resources have a lot of interest in the Gulf of

06:42America. Have you testified in front of this committee yet this year? Is this your first

06:46time testifying in front of this committee? Probably this year, but not last year. No,

06:51I'm asking you this year. I'm saying in the last four months, since the 119th Congress has started,

06:56this is your first time testifying, right? I think so. You're chairwoman of the water,

07:00fisheries and wildlife subcommittee. Are you not? Yes. And this is the first bill that you have decided

07:05to present to this committee on behalf of the state that you serve. So this notion, I'm saying to you,

07:12you, whether you or the Republican majority have picked this as a priority, is besides the point.

07:17Clearly, this is what you all have decided to spend your time on in the opening months of the 119th

07:23Congress. Maybe that's what the people of, I guess, is what you're testifying to today, is the people of

07:28Wyoming expect that from you and they support that. I can certainly tell you that in Colorado, of all of

07:34the issues that are important to the residents of my state, Gulf of America renaming does not crack

07:41the top three, the top 10 of issues that my constituents care about. You clearly feel

07:47differently. That's your prerogative. I'll yield back to balance my time. The gentleman yields back now,

07:52recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Roy, for his time of questioning.

Category

Transcript

Recommended