House Republicans now pitch the Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act as a turning of the tide, a moment when America stops apologizing for its own power. By sidelining the Department of Energy and elevating FERC, they insist they’ve stripped politics from exports and resurrected a Trump-style vision: pipelines humming, terminals expanding, allies buying American gas instead of begging hostile regimes. In their telling, every new project means jobs, leverage, and a nation less vulnerable to foreign blackmail.

But this energy crusade unfolds against a country on edge. The killing of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and wounding of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, allegedly by an Afghan national admitted under Biden, has fused immigration, crime, and national security into one raw nerve. As Trump officials tighten entry rules and vow crackdowns, the message is stark: strength now means drilling deeper at home while building higher walls at the border, betting that security and prosperity can be forced into alignment before the next shock hits.