WYOMING

Quick facts

Record: Senate Floor
Section type: Floor speeches
Chamber: Senate
Date: May 14, 2026
Congress: 119th Congress
Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.

Readable version of the official text

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to say that the people of Wyoming asked of Washington, DC, one simple thing, and that is: Let us do what we do best. Let us power the country, and let us feed the country. We have done it for generations, and we will continue to do it for generations to come.

The American people want affordable energy. They want energy that they can use, that is available to them, and that is reliable. Wyoming is America's energy breadbasket. We produce 12 times more energy than we consume.

Congress is currently discussing new mandates, mandates that would

force more and more ethanol into our fuel tanks. The House voted on it just last night. I oppose a year-round E15 mandate. That is what is currently under debate. I oppose it because it hurts small refineries and all of the people around the country who work in these small refineries.

In Wyoming, we have several small refineries. They employ thousands of hard-working people. The refineries receive hardship exemptions for something called the renewable fuel standard mandate. Oh, it is a mandate. They depend on these exemptions to survive—“they” being the refineries and the people who work for them. Small refineries already face higher costs under Federal renewable fuel rules.

Without additional relief, the new mandate will likely raise gas

prices for consumers all across the country by up to 35 cents a gallon.
Small refineries have been ignored so far in the current E15 debate.
It is time for their voices to be heard.

Affordable, available, reliable American energy never comes from a

one-size-fits-all government mandate. It comes from regulatory certainty, from permitting reform, and it comes from people who are working hard every day, like our Wyoming energy workers.

My message is simple: Let Wyoming do what Wyoming does best.

Now, the same principle applies to our ranchers. Americans want U.S. beef on their tables. Wyoming ranchers produce the very best beef in the world. Wyoming beef is safe. It is the highest quality.

And, Mr. President, your home State of Montana is known for equal high quality and hard workers.

It is our State's No. 1 cash crop, and I am sure it is a high cash crop in Montana as well.

Wyoming ranchers care for the land. We support our communities. We are great stewards of the land. Ranching is part of Wyoming's rich history and rich heritage. It is also part of our bright future.

Our ranchers do not ask for special treatment. They simply want a fair marketplace. They should not have to compete unfairly against foreign beef. It is Washington's job to ensure that there is a fair playing field.

The Trump administration recently unveiled a voluntary label program

that is called “Product of the U.S.A.” It means Americans can trust what they are buying.

Just this week, the administration rolled back the Biden

administration's disastrous public lands rule. In Wyoming, nearly half of our land is owned by the Federal Government. The Federal Government is our largest landlord. Federal law has long recognized the value of land that has multiple uses. It is called multiple use. It is in the law. And one of the uses includes grazing.

But the Biden rule changed multiple use into no use. They described no use as one of the multiple uses. We don't think of it that way and never have. This was designed by the Biden administration to shut down Federal grazing across the West. It was an attack on the Wyoming way of life, and I aggressively fought back against Biden's punishing regulations right here in the Senate.

And I am glad to see the Trump administration overturn it. Our ranchers will now be able to expand their operations and produce more high-quality Wyoming beef.