The U.S. became a net oil exporter for the first time in years under former President Trump, but under his successor, the nation is in the throes of an acute energy crisis that is crushing the middle class.
With just weeks to go before Election Day and gas prices on the rise again, Republicans aren’t letting voters forget who is responsible for killing America’s energy independence.
GOP blasts Biden
Republicans have frequently blamed Joe Biden’s hostility to fossil fuels, saying it has put the U.S. in a position of abject dependence on foreign dictatorships while driving up prices for American consumers.
With the Biden administration said to be weighing an export ban on U.S. oil and sanctions relief for Iran and Venezuela, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R) is among those calling to “make America Energy Independent Again!”
“America was a net exporter of energy just 2 years ago. The Biden Regime’s radical Green New Deal policies have made us energy dependent on our adversaries,” Gosar tweeted.
As winter approaches, the cost of heat for American households is expected to go up 17 percent compared to last year.
Meanwhile, gas prices have come down a bit from their peak over the summer but are rising once again.
Biden’s blame game
While Biden previously took credit when prices started falling, his administration now says the situation is “nuanced.”
The president’s apparent refusal to reconsider his domestic war on oil and gas has left him with few options but to point the finger elsewhere, something he has done often since the crisis started.
Early on, Biden labeled the gas crisis “Putin’s price hike,” and he has even sought to blame individual gas station owners at times.
When OPEC+ announced recently it would cut production by millions of barrels a day, Biden griped that the move was “disappointing.”
“Look it’s clear that OPEC Plus is aligning with Russia with today’s announcement,” White House spokesperson Karine-Jean Pierre said.