Americans are paying some of the highest gas prices ever, and the Biden administration has been quick to blame the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukraine invasion for the price spike. The White House has even mounted a propaganda campaign using social media influencers to convince the younger generation the gas prices have nothing to do with Biden and everything to do with Putin.
However, the truth is the gas prices in the U.S. had been soaring long before Russia invaded Ukraine, and this effect is largely down to Biden’s war on fossil fuels. On the campaign trail last year, he made headlines by promising to end the use of fossil fuels. Many hoped this would be just another empty promise, but he has made several moves toward keeping it since taking office, and as many economists predicted, these moves have been causing gas prices to climb steadily. Now, however, Biden is trying to take advantage of the war to blame Putin for something that he set in motion.
To be fair, fighting between Russia and Ukraine has indeed contributed to some of the more recent price increases we have seen, but gas prices have been rising throughout Biden's presidency. A recent analysis carried out by the Republican Study Committee of the actions Biden has taken against energy during the first 15 months of his presidency compared to the average price per gallon of gas during the week of each of these actions shows the effect that he has had on the prices that American families are paying for gas.
When Biden took office back in January of 2021, the average price per gallon of gas was $2.38. He immediately issued a climate change executive order, revoked the Keystone XL pipeline and issued a moratorium on gas and oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
These moves against domestic gas and oil production continued during the next few weeks. For example, during that time, Biden called on federal agencies to reach carbon neutrality by 2025 and stopped new gas and oil leases on public lands. A month into his presidency, gas prices rose by $0.25 to $2.63 per gallon for the week of February 22, 2021.
However, Biden continued on his quest to “end fossil fuels” by signing the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, along with other smaller attacks on the gas and oil industry. By the week of May 17, the average price per gallon of gas in the U.S. had surpassed $3.
In September, Biden’s Department of Education announced its Climate Action Plan that aims “to incorporate the green agenda into as many guidance and policies as possible." By October, the Departments of Energy, Agriculture and Labor had announced climate action plans of their own promising to focus on green sources of energy rather than fossil fuels. It should come as no surprise that gas had risen yet again to $3.32 per gallon by the week of October 18, 2021, in response to these moves.
Gas prices have been climbing since the day Biden took office
Not content to stop there, the House passed Biden’s Build Back Better plan in November 2021 that included an $8 billion tax on companies that produce, store or transmit gas and oil starting in 2023. In January, the Energy Department announced its intention to hire 1,000 employees for its Clean Energy Corps, a group that aligned with Biden's intention to destroy fossil fuels.
Gas had already reached $3.44 per gallon by the week of February 7, 2022. By the time Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, the price of gas was $3.53 per gallon, a rise of $1.15 per gallon since the first day Biden took office. While it's true that gas prices have risen further since the invasion, the Biden administration has continued to take action against gas and oil companies throughout that time as well.
All told, the group found 81 specific acts by the Biden administration directly targeting the gas and oil industry that have impacted the price of gas. These days, Americans are paying an average of $4.16 per gallon of gas, and most of the blame for this falls squarely on Biden's shoulders.
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