Democratic majority leader says Republicans shouldn't criticize Biden when 'we're at war'

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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Friday slammed Republicans for criticizing President Biden when "we’re at war."

Hoyer, the second-highest-ranking House Democrat made the inflammatory statement while debating on the House floor, pushing back on Republicans’ pointing out Biden has "clamped down" on producing energy domestically.

"The Biden administration approved more drilling permits in 2021 than the Trump administration approved in the first three years they were in office," Hoyer said. "I don't know how the [Republican leader] rationalizes his comments about the Biden constricting petroleum production."

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U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wait during votes at the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., January 3, 2021. Tasos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS

"It is unfortunate that in a time of war, that we spend all the time blaming our own president," Hoyer continued. "It is unfortunate that when the Europeans put themselves over the objections of numerous administrations in a place where they had a dependence on Russia, Russia has no leverage over us."

"I wish we'd get off this and really focus on the enemy," the Democrat leader added. "I know there's a lot of politics here, but we're at war. We need to produce energy."

The words come after the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill was delayed in the Senate after being passed in the House.

The U.S. is currently not at war with Russia, as doing so would require a formal act of Congress to declare war,

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Currently, it is unlikely that the U.S. will enter into a war with Russia.

Biden canceled a massive oil and gas lease sale on Thursday as gas prices hit a new high across the country.