In what he calls “the biggest story of the year,” syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said that the United States’ increase in oil production, which has aided the drastic decrease in gas prices, has happened “in spite” of President Barack Obama’s actions.
“It’s the biggest story of the year,” Krauthammer said on Fox News’ “Special Report” Friday night. “It’s damaged our enemies, the Russians, the Venezuelans, the Iranians, and, of course, it’s propelling our economy.”
“When Obama says that we of been increasing oil production, think of this,” Krauthammer continued, “oil production on federal lands has declined by 16% since 2010.”
“This has happened in spite of Obama and not because of Obama,” Krauthammer said to guest host Ed Henry. “It’s occurred entirely on state owned and private lands.”
Adding to the debate, Associated Press White House correspondent Julie Pace said that ordinary Americans are paying much more attention to the price of oil than the race for 2016.
“I was home in Buffalo over the holidays,” said Pace. “No one’s talking about 2016. No one’s talking about North Korea hacking Sony, but people were talking about oil prices and the price at the gas pump.”