NASHVILLE, TN – Do Tennessee’s Democrat congressmen care about the high cost of gasoline? Judging from their actions today, the answer is no. All five Tennessee Democrats in Congress – John Tanner, Jim Cooper, Bart Gordon, Steve Cohen and Lincoln Davis – voted to adjourn Congress for a month-long summer recess, rather than stay at work and vote on energy legislation.

By contrast, Republican congressmen Marsha Blackburn, David Davis, Jimmy Duncan and Zach Wamp all voted against taking a month-long summer vacation, preferring instead to stay in Washington and work on solving America’s energy cost crisis.

“Republicans have a proposal – the American Energy Act – that would do what the American people want done,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “It would lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, while also increasing the production of American energy on federal lands in the western states and in remote parts of Alaska, encourage conservation and efficiency, and promote development of alternative forms of energy such as biofuels and nuclear power.

“It’s an all-of-the-above strategy for energy independence, but Tennessee’s Democrats have sided with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of the D.C. Democrats to block the legislation, while Republicans are calling for Congress to stay in session and make it a priority to pass meaningful solutions to America’s current energy cost crisis,” Smith said.

Gasoline costs about $1.50 more per gallon now than it did when Pelosi, Reid and their fellow Democrats took control of gasoline. Yet Senate Democrats even blocked a proposal to allow offshore drilling if gasoline reached $10 a gallon.

The Tennessee Republican Party recently began offering a bumper sticker highlighting the Democrats’ opposition to increased oil drilling in America, with the slogan, “YOUR WALLET: The Only Place Democrats Want to Drill.” In less than a week the party sold more than 1,000 of the stickers, to people all over America, and has had to order more from the printer.

“The American people understand that Democrats are more focused on raising people’s taxes than on lowering the cost of fuel at the pump – indeed, many suspect that Democrats secretly prefer high gas prices,” Smith said. “But high fuel prices damage family budgets, hurt the economy and cost jobs. It’s shameful that Tennessee’s Democrat congressmen wouldn’t speak up for the people of Tennessee and demand Congress act on the issue before taking a vacation.”

For more information on the Tennessee Republican Party’s oil drilling bumper sticker, visit www.tngop.org.