Gas prices rose 59% under Biden admin prior to war
The Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Foldi and Democratic strategist David Carlucci discuss how the Biden admin is blaming Putin for America’s gas price hike on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is making clear who it thinks is responsible for the record-high gas prices plaguing Americans, and it isn't President Biden.
In an editorial on Monday, the paper placed blame squarely on Russia, citing its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the fluctuating demand for oil as the reasons for gas prices reaching a record average of $4.33 last week.
The editorial board also accused Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., as well as other Republicans, of lying about the root causes of more expensive gas, and claimed they were placing their own self-interest "above America’s interest in defending democracy in Ukraine."
BLAMING GAS PRICES ON BIDEN IS ‘FRANKLY UN-AMERICAN,’ DEMOCRAT REP. SAYS
"After publicly pressuring President Joe Biden to halt Russian oil imports over its invasion of Ukraine, it took Sen. Josh Hawley literally just hours to lambast the president for doing exactly that last week and for being honest with the American people about the effect it would have on gas prices," the board wrote.
"Would Hawley have preferred that Biden lie — the way Hawley and his Republican colleagues have been lying for months about the root causes of more expensive gasoline?" it added. "As predictable as this chorus of partisan heckling always was, it’s still disappointing that, even now, Hawley and his cohorts can’t help but put their own self-serving demagoguery above America’s interest in defending democracy in Ukraine."
The paper admitted "the pain" facing Americans at the gas pump is real, but claimed that Republicans have been spinning myths around the causes by blaming Biden's environmental policies.
The Post-Dispatch specifically noted one of Republican critics' key components: Biden's cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. It, however, justified the cancellation by arguing the pipeline wouldn't have had any impact on current prices because completion wasn't expected until next year.
The board argued the same about Biden's "failed attempt" to suspend any new oil and gas leases on federal land.
UNITED STATES - MARCH 8: Gas prices are displayed outside an Exxon station in Washington on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
WASHINGTON POST'S JENNIFER RUBIN CALLS VOTERS ‘STUPID’ FOR BLAMING BIDEN ON RISING GAS PRICES
"Republicans can criticize the potential long-term economic effects of prioritizing the environment over domestic oil production, but that’s not the same thing as falsely alleging … that ‘the Biden administration continues to keep our energy production turned off,’" the board wrote, asserting that the Biden administration "did no such thing."
The editorial went on to argue that gas prices plummeted during the onset of the pandemic because of low demand, which in turn led to decreased oil production, but that demand has surged following society's reopening, making it hard for production to keep up, thus increasing prices.
It added that the ban on Russian oil imports as a result of the country's actions in Ukraine has caused the price to go up even more.
"It’s an unfortunate fact of politics that repeating a lie enough can often entrench it in a debate — especially when an entire political party is repeating it in lockstep," the board wrote.
"As this year’s midterms approach, voters who are still open to facts should ask themselves what it says about any candidate who must resort to such a strategy," it added in an apparent swipe at Republican candidates.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on January 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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According to a recent AAA report, the national average for a gallon of gas rose to a record high of $4.33 last week, staying largely the same heading into this week at $4.32. This constitutes a 26-cent increase from one week ago, 84 cents more than a month ago, and $1.47 more than one year ago – less than two months after Biden took office.
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