Friday's weekly Republican address featured congressman Mike Kelly (R., Pa.) offering President Obama a lump of coal for Christmas--not because the president has been bad, but because coal "holds the potential for a 21st-century economic revival."
"You see, coal is our most abundant and valuable resource. It lights our homes, it keeps our electric bills low, and it puts food on the table for countless families," Kelly said.
Kelly, whose home state of Pennsylvania has more than 40,000 jobs tied to the coal industry, said the country relies on coal production for its economic vitality.
"No other nation in the world has been blessed with such abundant, affordable, and accessible resources," Kelly said. "We shouldn't be just trying to keep up with the pack. My goodness--we should be leading the world."
Kelly said Obama has spent his presidency trying to bankrupt the coal industry with federal regulations.
"Instead of forcing our workers to live with less, the president should let us use our God-given resources and talents to help Americans get back to work and make our nation the energy superpower it can be and, quite frankly, that it needs to be," Kelly said.
"There's so much more we can do to encourage the development of all forms of American energy."
Kelly urged the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline when the 114th Congress convenes in January 2015.
"Manufacturing things, making things, and doing it better than anyone else in the world--that's what America has always been about, that's how we built such a robust and dynamic economy," Kelly said. "If we all pull together, we can make 2015 the year we restore our nation of builders."