WARWICK – Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., didn’t hold back when asked about the current $5 a gallon gas prices during The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Congressional Breakfast Monday at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick.
“Good, old-fashioned gouging,” he said emphatically.
Cicilline was joined by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Jack Reed, D-R.I, and Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., to answer questions about gas prices, the war in Ukraine, the environment and a host of other topics during the chamber’s sold-out event.
Laurie White, president of The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Meghan Hughes, president of the Community College of Rhode Island, served as moderators.
“Prices are not set by markets,” Reed said about gas prices. “They are set by producers. Supply lines were interrupted during the pandemic, and this does not spin to traditional supply and demand.”
When the panelists were asked about the war in Ukraine, Reed remarked, “NATO came together in ways that have not happened in the last 30 years. [Vladimir] Putin has fantasies beyond Ukraine.”
A poll was sent to attendees prior to the event asking if the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk would be a positive or negative development. Of those responding, 45.65% answered Musk acquiring Twitter would have a negative impact, 39.13% replied it would be a positive thing and 15.22% felt that Musk owning Twitter would have no impact.
A second poll question asked if the U.S. economy would go into recession in the next 12 months. Of those responding, 31.52% answered that a recession was very likely, 47.83% said that a recession was somewhat likely, 5.43% responded that the U.S. is already in a recession and only 3.26% of those polled said a recession was not likely at all.
Langevin talked about The Chips Act, an initiative that will provide more than 50 billion in incentives to accelerate and catalyze domestic semiconductor production. Though Langevin said that the bill was still in conference committee, he said that the passage of the bill would be vital to restoring competitive balance and supply lines for goods requiring computer chips in the U.S.
Langevin also stressed the importance of the America Competes Act, a bill that was passed on Feb. 4 of this year that will increase U.S. production of semiconductor chips, strengthen the nation’s supply chain, invest in scientific research, as well as new technologies.
“We want to engage in what we call, ‘Friend Sharing,’” Langevin said. “We want to engage with trusted partners and allies around the world. We don’t want to rely on China for our supply chain needs.”
Whitehouse discussed the price of not tackling global warming. “If we don’t address our climate crisis, we can expect to pay $178 billion to start because the planet is warming,” he said. Whitehouse added that taking the needed steps to mitigate the crisis could result in massive savings over time as a result.
The gun crisis was top of mind for the panel as well.
“We have a gun violence epidemic,” Cicilline said. “It’s too easy to get a firearm in this country and there is a lot more we can do about that. The stress of COVID, the loss of family members, gun violence, mental health also need to be addressed. We have to make sure the resources are there.”
Add the end of the breakfast, Langevin was honored for his service in the U.S. with an award from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
“I am humbled and privileged for this award,” he said. Langevin described his greatest accomplishment in Congress as his work on building up cyber security in the U.S. and that cyber threats to the country are constant and ongoing.
Reed was asked for a final thought as the senior member of the Rhode Island delegation.
“Our values and our commitments will prevail for all time,” he declared, to thunderous applause.
(CORRECTS to Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick in lede paragraph.)
