Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday over the Biden administration’s prediction of rising energy costs for Americans.
“A lot of focus on the economic pain in Russia, potentially, from these sanctions, but what about the economic pain here?” Doocy pressed Psaki. “The Russians are saying they think gas prices in Europe are going to double. How high could they get here?”
“Some of this depends on what President Putin does,” she replied. “It’s all based on what his actions are.”
“What the president is focused on and is working on is taking every step we can to communicate with, coordinate with, and engage with big global suppliers around the world to minimize the impact on the energy markets,” Psaki continued, shifting to the President Joe Biden’s actions.
Doocy followed up, asking, “But even without all this going on, gas in California is almost five dollars a gallon. Should people across the country expect to see that kind of a number when they go to gas up their car?” (RELATED: ANTONI: Regular Americans Are Paying Dearly For Biden’s Mistakes On Energy Policy)
“Well again I think as you heard the president say last week, standing up for our values is not without cost,” Psaki replied. “What we’re trying to do is minimize that cost.”
WATCH:
Biden said Tuesday at the White House that the “administration is using every tool” at their “disposal to protect American businesses and consumers from rising prices at the pump.”
“Defending freedom will have costs for us as well and here at home. We need to be honest about that,” Biden added.
Some experts are predicting that gas prices could reach as high as seven dollars due to the escalating crisis with Russia and Ukraine, according to the New York Post.
Another reporter asked during Wednesday’s press briefing if “Americans should expect higher gasoline prices.” Psaki responded, “Yeah, energy prices, exactly that’s what we want the American public to be aware is a possibility.”
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% in January, marking a 7.5% increase on a year-to-year growth basis. Energy prices rose by 7.5%.
Consumer prices also soared by 7.5%, a 435% rise from the previous year and the largest increase since February 1982. The average gas price currently stands at $3.5 per gallon, $1.00 higher than in 2021, according to AAA Gas Prices.