Cruz to N.H. Voter: I Oppose Ethanol Subsidies, ‘There Should Be No Mandates’

‘My view on energy is there should be no mandates no subsidies whatsoever for any energy source, whether ethanol or oil and gas or anything else’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
UNKNOWN MALE: "The production of ethanol use is almost as much petroleum --"
CRUZ: "Can I ask you something sir. What do you understand to be my position on ethanol?"
UNKNOWN MALE: "I think you were originally opposed to it but then you changed it. No?"
CRUZ: "So let me answer your question. Because I think you are going to be happy with my answer. My position has not changed one ie oat. Which is my view on energy is there should be no mandates no subsidies whatsoever for any energy source, whether ethanol or oil and gas or anything else. And I'll point out, I'll tell a story. So right now I'm the only major candidate in Iowa who's taking that position. Right now my opponents are all attacking me for it. And they are all promising just yesterday Donald Trump promised not only to protect the mandate but to expand it, to have the federal government do even more picking and winning and hit literally with millions of dollars of attacks. A number of months ago I was in Iowa at an ag summit. About 1,000 farmers, 1,000 people active in the ethanol industry. We talked about all sorts of agriculture issues, and one of the questions came was the ethanol mandate. And really the purpose of the summit was to get every candidate there to kiss the ring of the ethanol mandate, and every candidate there, including several who had opposed the mandate in the past, did a 180 flip and said, I am for ethanol forever. Except me. And when I told folks there, is I said, listen. I support ethanol. I support every fuel source. We ought to pursue all of the above God has blessed America with rich and abundant energy resources. But it shouldn't be Washington picking winners and losers. That's why I field legislation to phase out the ethanol mandate over five years."

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