Republicans regret lack of progress on oil

At a pen and pad briefing, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) discussed high-energy costs and unemployment insurance.

On the topic of oil, Blunt said that the failure to pursue what Republicans have wanted for years has led to the high prices seen now. He said that the Republicans have specific solutions to the oil crisis and expressed remorse that nothing has been done in the House to solve the problem.

When asked about the unemployment insurance bill, Blunt voiced his opposition. He said that the bill would allow employees who work for as little as two weeks to get up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits. Putnam said that the bill is unnecessary because there is a proven model in place that the Democrats want to break.

Also, when asked about Barack Obama’s nomination, Putnam said that the Democrats’ have a lot of patching up to do to achieve party unity.