House passes sweeping GOP energy policy bill

(CNN) — The House voted on Thursday to pass a sweeping energy policy bill put forward by Republicans that the GOP majority has highlighted as a key priority — even though it is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate.

Republicans have touted the bill as a plan to increase American energy production and grow the economy, while Democrats have denounced the measure, arguing it would set back efforts to transition to clean energy sources. The final vote was 225 to 204.

House Republicans named the bill the "Lower Energy Costs Act" and gave it the designation of HR 1 to signal its importance as a major agenda item for the party.

In announcing the bill, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, called it "our top priority."

"Every piece of legislation is assigned a number when it’s first introduced. Most of these numbers are chronological. But as speaker, I get to pick which bills are assigned the numbers one through ten as a way to show how important that legislation is."

But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has made clear he is opposed to the legislation and it is has no future in his chamber.

In floor remarks earlier this month, Schumer said, "It’s not difficult to see that the Republican proposal is nothing more than a wish list for Big Oil masquerading as an energy package."

Schumer went on to say, "So let me be clear: the House Republicans’ so-called energy bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. Dead on arrival."

The-CNN-Wire
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