President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for soaring gas prices in a Sunday tweet, moving on from the “Putin-price hike” shtick.
Biden attempted to shift blame onto Republicans as a way to drive up support amongst voters for the November midterms.
“Republicans are doing nothing but obstructing our efforts to crack down on gas-price gouging, lower food prices, lower healthcare costs, and hopefully, soon, lower your prescription drug costs,” Biden tweeted. “This is not right. And that’s why this election is going to be so darn important.” (RELATED: Bloomberg Host Calls Biden ‘Shockingly Naive’ To WH Adviser’s Face)
Republicans are doing nothing but obstructing our efforts to crack down on gas-price gouging, lower food prices, lower healthcare costs, and hopefully, soon, lower your prescription drug costs.
This is not right. And that’s why this election is going to be so darn important.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 10, 2022
The Biden Administration has consistently blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the rise in gas prices, warning seven major U.S. oil companies in a recent letter they would face a new tax on energy if they do not boost domestic output. In the letter, Biden said Putin is “principally responsible” for the “financial pain” Americans are facing at the pump.
But Biden’s initial accusations against Putin, and the continuously shifting blame game thereafter, ring hollow as gas prices were on the rise well before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Lawmakers have called on Biden to reverse his revocation of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The administration also ditched an oil drilling project in Alaska and banned new oil and gas leasing on federal lands.
Biden ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November, 30 million barrels on March 1 and 180 million barrels on March 31, stating the “historic” actions would ease the pressure faced at pumps.
New reports suggest, however, that millions of barrels of oil released last month went to foreign nations, including China.
It is unclear how Republicans are holding back lowering the cost of gas, with Republicans calling on the federal government to boost energy supply by expanding domestic production in a May letter. The letter demanded the U.S. repeal federal precedent limiting exploration, drilling and production of fossil fuels on federal lands and waters.