Here's a round-up of Public Campaign and Public Campaign Action Fund's work for the week of May 23-27, 2011.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will hold a hearing today doing all he can to not blame Big Oil for its role in rising gas prices.

Public Campaign and Public Campaign Action Fund were hard at work this week putting out a variety of memos, statements, and reports. Here's a round up of our recent work:

Earlier this month, the U.S. House passed legislation to greatly expand offshore oil drilling in the United States. In April, many of the members that voted for this legislation also pocketed cash from big oil PACs, according to Public Campaign Action Fund analysis of FEC filings.

According to the Huffington Post:

On Thursday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) will hold two fundraisers in Washington, D.C.---one with oil and gas interests and one with health interests.

On Tuesday morning, Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) was scheduled to host an "energy industry breakfast" fundraiser at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse on Capitol Hill, less than 12 hours before he voted against legislation that would end taxpayer subsidies for oil companies. With a name like that, you can assume what type of lobbyists he grabbed some steak and eggs with this morning.

ThinkProgress and a local Fox affiliate report that freshman Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) took some heat last night at a town hall event in his district for both his votes to end Medicare as we know it and to extend taxpayer subsidies for oil companies.

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), a member of a Senate committee holding a hearing today on oil and gas subsidies, was scheduled to attend a fundraiser this morning that was hosted by a lobbyist who represents oil giant BP.

"If only taxpayers had that kind of sway in Washington." The Mercury News hits the nail on the head in their editorial on the debate on tax subsidies for Big Oil. 

On top of paying nearly $4 a gallon for gas, we're also padding Big Oil companies' huge profits through tax subsidies. And just yesterday, despite huge public outcry to stop them, the House of Representatives voted to end debate on putting a stop to the corporate welfare. It's pretty easy to see why. As The Hill reports today, Big Oil poured huge amounts of campaign cash into lawmakers' campaign coffers and, SHOCK, they got exactly what they wanted.