The White House is slammed for shifting from blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to oil companies for record-high gas prices.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre held a press conference at the White House where she called on oil companies to “be patriots” and do more to lower prices.
“We see it as a patriotic duty. We are calling on them to do the right thing, to be patriots here, and not use the war as an excuse to price gouge.” White House Secretary Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre’s statement came after U.S President Joe Biden called on U.S. oil refiners to produce more gasoline and diesel.
Biden also claimed that the companies’ profits have tripled during a time of war between Ukraine and Russia as Americans struggle with record-high prices at the pump.
“The crunch that families are facing deserves immediate action. Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions that address the crisis.” Biden wrote in a letter to seven oil refiners.
On Thursday, the gas prices across the United States are averaging roughly $5 a gallon. Several Americans see it as an economic burden and a political threat for the president’s fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections.
However, several oil producers responded and slammed Biden for his “misguided” green agenda while ignoring its immediate effects on the economy.
White House shifts from blaming Putin to oil companies for high gas prices, calls on them to ‘be patriots’ https://t.co/RK1D6RDs9x
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 16, 2022
According to the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the industry, Biden’s policy agenda “has compounded inflationary pressures and added headwinds to companies’ daily efforts to meet growing energy needs while reducing emissions.”
ExxonMobil also slammed Biden after accusing the company of profiteering amid a global crisis and that the company “made more money than God this year.”
In 2019, during the Democratic presidential primary debates, Biden claimed that he was willing to sacrifice economic growth to combat climate change.
“Three consecutive American presidents have enjoyed stints of explosive economic growth due to a boom in oil and natural gas production. As president, would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth, even knowing potentially that it could displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers in the interest of transitioning to that greener economy?” December 2019 debate, moderator Tim Alberta asked Biden.
“The answer is yes,” Biden replied.
