Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday told President Biden that Americans suffering from high gas prices are welcome to drive across the border into Mexico to save money on fuel.
López Obrador told Biden in the Oval Office that gas is much cheaper on his side of the border. [bold, links added]
“We have decided that it was necessary for us to allow Americans who live close to the border … [to] go and get their gasoline on the Mexican side at lower prices,” he told Biden through a translator.
“And right now, a lot of drivers, a lot of Americans are going to Mexico to get their gasoline. We are committed to guaranteeing twice as much supply … And right now a gallon of regular costs $4.78 average on this [US] side of the border and on our territory, $3.12.”
As of Tuesday, the average cost of regular gas was $4.66 a gallon in the US, according to AAA, down from an all-time high of more than $5 less than one month ago.
California, which borders Mexico, remains one of the most expensive states for gas, at more than $6 per gallon, according to AAA. In Texas, the average is about $4.20.
López Obrador didn’t cite a source for the cost of gas in Mexico and the website globalpetrolprices.com cites a higher Mexican average of about $4.41 per gallon.
Mexico’s government has been spending big to subsidize gasoline prices to ease hikes at the pump, an effort backed by López Obrador.
But the subsidies were temporarily halted in the border region due to shortages in April, Reuters reported.
That temporary ban went into effect after reports of US drivers heading across the border to fill up as prices soared.
Tijuana gas stations were advertising the difference with signs like “Cheaper than in the USA,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Although López Obrador appeared to make the offer with sincerity, it threatens to provide fresh fodder for Biden’s domestic critics, who have slammed his administration’s energy policies.
Republicans routinely point out that Biden attempted to impose a moratorium last year on new oil drilling on public lands while spiking new oil pipeline projects, including the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada.
Biden and oil company executives recently traded jabs publicly over blame for record prices.
High gas prices are contributing to the worst inflation since 1981 and are politically lethal to Biden and fellow Democrats ahead of the November midterm elections for Congress. …
US gas prices were already on the rise during 2021 — from about $2.30 to $3.27 per gallon —before surging when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Biden last month asked Congress to temporarily waive the federal gas tax of 18.3 cents per gallon, but was rebuffed.
In March, he ordered the release of a million barrels per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and allowed a higher proportion of ethanol in gas over the summer.
Read rest at NY Post
Mexico is not our friend and never has been. They hate the United States. They should be treated like the enemy aliens they are.