GOP lawmakers have turned up the heat on the Biden administration, repeatedly slamming it for rising energy prices that consumers have experienced recently.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy hosted roundtables in his office on both Tuesday and Wednesday where energy industry leaders, local officials, and his fellow House Republicans sniped at Democrats, blaming them for increased costs hitting Americans.
The officials also took aim at climate provisions included in the pending $3.5 trillion budget bill.
“There’s nothing that’s becoming more expensive than gasoline today,” McCarthy said on Wednesday. “And it doesn’t have to be the case. When gasoline becomes more expensive, the people that it truly hurts are those that are less fortunate, those that have less money. It literally takes food away from their children.”
“As we look to Thanksgiving coming up, it’s going to be the most expensive Thanksgiving in history for Americans,” he continued. “But the real challenge is happening here. It’s the policies of this new administration.”
Since July, energy prices have skyrocketed in the U.S. and abroad with both oil and natural gas hitting multi-year highs.
Heating costs may even tick up as much as 54% for Americans this winter and could be even higher depending on how cold it gets, the EIA projected on Oct. 13.
Meanwhile, gasoline prices rose again Wednesday, reaching a national average of $3.39 per gallon, according to a AAA database, and soaring past $7.50 per gallon in some areas.
The last time Americans paid more than $3.40 per gallon at the pump was in September 2014, Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed.
“This administration is only six or eight months into their policies on energy right now,” Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves said. “This is what we’re seeing right now as a result of executive orders, as a result of policy decisions. With the reconciliation package, they are trying to come in and double and triple down on the strategies that have caused higher price.”
President Joe Biden has made solving climate change a top priority and, as a result, has aimed to curb the U.S. fossil fuel industry’s influence. But the White House has also turned to Middle Eastern and Russian producers of oil and natural gas for a reprieve from surging energy costs.
The House Republicans who participated in McCarthy’s hearings this week further argued that energy has become a national security issue because of the American economy’s growing dependence on foreign powers.
“As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, this is actually a national security issue at this point,” Oklahoma Rep. Stephanie Bice said on Wednesday.
She noted that besides growing reliance on foreign energy, cumbersome U.S. regulations on rare Earth mineral mining have hindered American companies and favored those abroad. Such metals are key for a range of technology including renewable energy products, CNBC reported.
Read rest at Daily Caller
Time to send Biden and his fellow Democrats/Globalists to be taken to the detention room for these high fuel prices all over a totaly faked crisis
I think the Republicans are overplaying their hand. The reality is, the oil & gas industry and it’s products are a WORLDWIDE commodity. Starting around 2014-15 oil prices began to “tank.” You couple that lack of price support with ongoing developments in the financial markets & growing regulation & mis-guided energy policy and you have a predictable result: Lack of capital investment has resulted in a DROP of 2 Million barrels/day of oil production along with FLAT domestic natural gas production. I would submit that Biden’s policies are only BEGINNING to impact the domestic energy markets and the current price “spikes” are due to stagnant worldwide production coming up “short” due to pent up demand coming off the COVID pandemic. So, buckle your seat belts folks. We are just getting started! This energy transition will take DECADES whether the progressives like it or not. Their green energy economy dreams have no more validity than if they mandated we will openly defy GRAVITY by some future date. The SOONER we can start having a thoughtful. well informed & realistic debate about energy policy and sensible application of climate science, the FASTER we will minimize the PAIN. Energy imperatives are a job best suited for the science & engineering side of campus. The “Drama & Theater” majors need to stay in their lane…