mr. speaker , there is no doubt that the entire nation is paying a price for the astronomical costs of oil and gasoline , and , mr. speaker , pennsylvanians are no exception . 
just yesterday , philadelphia residents were told that their home heating bills would increase by 19.4 percent . 
that comes on top of double-digit price increases that they had to absorb last year , and it means they will pay on average an additional $ 335 to heat their homes this winter . 
winter can be very cold in pennsylvania , and if congress fails to take immediate action , some of my constituents will simply not have enough money to pay these high prices and may be forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on their table . 
that , mr. speaker , is a decision that no american should be forced to make . 
and it is more than just home heating costs . 
in the last 60 days , it has gotten a whole lot more expensive to drive to and from work , with the price of gasoline going up . 
it rose about 55 cents in just the last 2 months . 
higher home heating costs , higher gas prices , these are daily expenses for most americans , and they have real consequences for families across this nation and to our national economy . 
the bill under consideration today is simply another giveaway for special interests , and it comes at the expense of hardworking americans . 
the gentleman from new york ( mr. bishop ) xz4000311 and i stand here today offering a way to give the federal government the authority to investigate and punish those using anti-competitive practices . 
it ensures immediate action to address the concerns of our constituents suffering from the high price of energy . 
support the bishop motion to recommit and report this bill back to committee so we can adequately address price gouging and reduce costs for everyday americans . 
