White House amplifies feud with Koch brothers

摘要

The White House yesterday escalated an ongoing feud with billionaire conservative brothers Charles and David Koch over energy subsidies and the oil and gas industry's role in influencing politicians. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that an exchange between President Obama and the Koch brothers this week highlights Obama's efforts to block the industry from influencing policymaking. "It's why he ran for this office -- is that for too long we saw the oil and gas industry exert significant pressure on politicians in Washington, D.C.," Earnest said from the West Wing. "And that did have an impact on the ability of the federal government to make smart policy decisions in terms of offering preferences to oil and gas companies and not making the kinds of investments that we know we should be making in renewable and clean energy. And that's -- I guess to borrow a phrase -- that's change you believe in."