Staff Reports
The mishandling of classified information by the Biden administration has been a front-page issue. During a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre confirmed that the administration's attitude toward such documents has been "very concerning." Also, Jennifer Granholm, the secretary of energy, provided an update on the situation.
During the briefing, Jean-Pierre noted that the House Republicans' plan to raise gas prices is a stark contrast to the administration's priorities.
KJP: "This week, House Republicans will vote to raise gas prices on American families." pic.twitter.com/AFTVW0yAbu
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 23, 2023
Besides criticizing House Republicans, Jean-Pierre also praised the Biden administration for its efforts in reducing gas prices. According to the press secretary, the president has been working to address the issue since last summer. He noted that the prices have dropped by about $1.60 a gallon.
Granholm noted that the president has been focused on reducing the costs of energy and transportation for American families. He has been increasing the use of biofuels in gasoline, as well as providing additional funds for weatherization programs that help lower the costs of energy for low- and moderate income households.
The other issue that has been raised is that the high prices at the pump are due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, as opposed to the actions of the Biden administration. Russia didn't start its invasion of Ukraine until February 2022.
According to Granholm, the average price of gas has dropped by about $1.60 from its high during the summer. She noted that the prices are now lower than they were when Russia started its invasion of Ukraine. She also blamed the Russian invasion on the global economy.
In response to a question, Biden noted on Monday that the price of gas has actually gone down. He also released a similar claim on his official Twitter account.
Gas prices are down around $1.60 a gallon from their peak this summer – and my Administration will keep working to lower costs for American families.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 23, 2023
Besides the misleading timeline regarding the rise of gas prices, it's also important to note that during the time of Joe Biden's presidency, the average price of gas was at an all-time high.
Unfortunately, despite the various achievements of the Biden administration, gas prices are still rising. As our friends at Twitchy have pointed out, despite what the president, Granholm, and other officials claim, gas prices are still going up.
12 states saw average #gasprices rise over 15c/gal from a week ago:
CO +28c/gal (Suncor refinery outage)
DE +24c
OH +21c
WV +18c
MD +17c
GA +17c
MS +16c
NM +16c
SC +16c
TN +16c
VA +16c
LA +15c— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) January 23, 2023
This particular tweet came from Patrick De Baan of Gas Buddy. He is reportedly the chief of staff of Ron Klain, who is leaving the White House.
AAA also noted that the national average price of gas is expected to increase.
In response to the criticism, Biden took to Twitter to talk about the invasion of Ukraine and defended his administration's actions in using the petroleum reserve for emergencies.
To secure our energy supply and blunt rising costs caused by Putin's war, my Administration made releases from our petroleum reserve.
House Republicans want to weaken that critical energy security option, causing oil shortages and higher gas prices in times of crisis.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 24, 2023
The Biden administration is also fighting against the legislation that would increase the gas prices. Despite the president's actions, the officials are still focused on making sure that the legislation does not pass.
One of the bills that the administration is fighting against is H.R. 21 of the Strategic Petroleum Response Act of 2023, which was introduced by Catherine McMorris Rodgers on January 9, 2023. It states that the government would be prohibited from reducing the petroleum reserve until it has a plan that increases the share of federal lands that are leased for energy production.
According to Granholm, the bill would weaken the petroleum reserve's usefulness as a tool for ensuring energy security. She also noted that it would impose unnecessary restrictions on when the government can use the reserve.
Granholm also praised the "Inflation Reduction Act," which was misnamed. She claimed that it was already reducing costs.
It's no surprise that the president and the Biden administration are blaming others for the rising prices of gas. If anyone was looking to weaken the energy security option that the country has, it's the president and his team. Almost two years ago, on his first day as the president, Biden signed an executive order to stop the Keystone XL pipeline.
According to Spencer, earlier this month, the Department of Energy released a report revealing how the cancellation of the project led to the loss of jobs. The report noted that the construction of the pipeline had been estimated to create up to 59,468 jobs annually. Unfortunately, those jobs never materialized.
Granholm made it clear that Biden would veto H.R. 21, which she claimed would hurt the American people. She said that the president would not allow the country to suffer because of the Republican-controlled House.
It's clear that Biden has to be held accountable for the draining of the reserves. With gas prices still going up, the administration is focused on gaslighting instead of addressing the country's energy security needs.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Town Hall.
