North Pima News

Critics of President Joe Biden claim the president is trying to absolve himself of responsibility by blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for soaring gas prices across the United States.

The Biden administration has taken to social media to push messaging about the “Putin Price Hike,” according to recent comments from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.    

"Let me first say that Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin," Psaki recently told reporters. "This is a Putin spike at the gas pump, not one prompted by our sanctions.”

According to Fox News, the numbers tell a different story, with inflationary gas prices kicking into gear as far back as early 2021, shortly after Biden took office.

Biden also issued several executive orders aimed at stifling domestic energy production and instead, focus on climate change, CNBC reported.

On March 8, the president announced a ban on all imports of Russian oil, gas and energy targeting what he branded as "the main artery" of Russia’s economy as the war rages on in Ukraine, according to a tweet.

Gas prices in the U.S. are now at their highest since the financial crisis of 2008, recently topping an average of more than $4 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. When Biden took office in 2020 the national average price of regular gas stood at $2.38 per gallon, compared to current prices of $4.25, a 79% increase.

In February, prices jumped by 7.9% compared to the same time the year before, according to the 12-month percentage of change in the consumer price index with the data representing U.S. city averages, according to a report by Statista.

During his recent State of Union address, Biden doubled down on his commitment to combatting climate change, though some argue his actions are serving to undermine any positive environmental achievements while directly causing an exponential increase in gas prices.

Around that same time, the president signed a series of executive orders that prioritize all his proposed changes, including instructing the secretary of the Interior Department to curb all new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters, according to CNBC. The $2 trillion plan also calls for the federal government to conserve almost a third of federal lands and water over the next decade and find ways to double offshore wind production over that same period.

Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) believes the Biden administration is to blame for the surge in energy prices across the country.

On March 8, he wrote, "By effectively shutting down our own supply of critical oil and gas, the Biden administration increased our reliance on foreign countries for our energy needs, increased global emissions, and increased gas prices for American families."

According to YCharts, inflation, as well as gas prices have been on a steady increase over the past year, which would seem to counter Biden’s claims about Putin bearing responsibility for the increases.

Jon Gabriel, editor-in-chief at Ricochet.com and an AZ (Arizona) Central contributor, said on Thursday, "We can blame Putin for a host of evils in the world. When it comes to our pocketbooks, the blame lands squarely on President Biden."

Still, Biden remains focused on addressing climate change.

“We’ve already waited too long to deal with the climate crisis,” Biden recently told reporters. “We cannot wait any longer. Our climate plans are ambitious, but we are America. We are unwavering in our commitment to innovation.”