Democratic Illinois Rep. Sean Casten advocated for the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) Tuesday by breaking out in a song inspired by Rihanna.
“FERC is again on the brink of being deadlocked. And so, with a little help from Rihanna this time, it is my duty to once again remind the legislative branch of our desperate need to FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC,” Casten sing-songed before the House of Representatives.
“Climate Change is urgent. Capitol markets are mobilizing in response to the Inflation Reduction Act. This is no time to have us lurking. To be blunt Mr. Chair, I do not like it. And you know I’ve dealt with it the nicest, but his delay is not righteous and now we’re in a crisis,” he continued in a video of the speech.
Last year, I declared a #HotFERCSummer to prevent an understaffed @FERC.
Now, with a little help from @rihanna, I’m back on the House floor urging the Senate & @WhiteHouse to avoid impending gridlock so we can…
FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC, FERC our way to clean, cheap energy pic.twitter.com/WQ3c1NpLUp
— Rep. Sean Casten (@RepCasten) December 13, 2022
This is not the first time Casten has used the help of music artists to get his point across in Congress. Last year he used Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” to declare an end to what he dubbed “hot FERC summer.” Casten also leaned on artists Fergie and Megan Thee Stallion “to elevate the [FERC] critical role in solving the climate crisis,” he explained in a video of that speech. (RELATED: Rep. Sean Casten Details Final Hours Before Teen Daughter Died In Heartbreaking Statement)
His pleas for funding come as Congress faces a looming budget battle as the Federal Government’s current funding expires on December 16, The Week reported. Unless a new spending bill is passed in the deeply divided Congress, the government will be forced to shut down, the outlet reported.