Over at The Swamp:

The recent exchange of letters between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner occasioned by the debate over drilling has been typical for the two leaders when they have been divided over an issue.

Less so is the gambit by Boehner today.

The Ohio Republican and his colleagues in the GOP House leadership are bypassing their Democratic counterparts with a letter sent directly to the majority party's rank-and-file. They're asking Democrats to join the Republicans who have been staging a floor protest this week in calling on Pelosi to reconvene Congress for a vote on "increasing American-made energy.

. . . . . .

Republicans will not rest until the American people have been heard and Speaker Pelosi has allowed an up-or-down vote on the energy reforms our nation needs," he said.

Republicans, who have been giving speeches in the dimmed House chamber since last week, want to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas exploration.

Democrats, who have dismissed the revolt as a stunt, say oil companies should focus first on developing the tens of millions of acres on which they already have permission to drill. They also want President Bush to release supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Both sides acknowledge that there is little they can do to reduce prices at the pump in the short term. The text of the Republican letter follows.

Dear Member of the Democratic Caucus,

The American people expect Congress to work toward solutions for their everyday problems. Right now, the biggest challenge facing most American families is the price of energy. But on August 1st Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned the House of Representatives for a five-week vacation, continuing to ignore this crisis. Americans rightly expect more from us as their elected representatives.

House Republicans have remained on the floor speaking directly to the chorus of Americans filling the House Visitors Gallery requesting that Speaker Pelosi reconvene the House and allow a vote on a comprehensive, common-sense approach to reducing the price of energy.

If you agree that Congress should not be taking a five-week vacation until we address the energy crisis, will you join us in publicly calling on Speaker Pelosi to reconvene the House and allow a vote on increasing American-made energy?

We, and the American people, anxiously await your reply.

Sincerely,

John Boehner
Republican Leader

Roy Blunt
Republican Whip

Adam Putnam
Republican Conference Chair

Eric Cantor
Chief Deputy Whip

Thaddeus McCotter
Republican Policy Chair

Kay Granger
Republican Conference Vice Chair

John Carter
Republican Conference Secretary

Tom Cole
Republican Congressional Committee Chair

David Dreier
Ranking Member, Rules Committee

Via Boehner's blog.

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