Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months, through September, and he called on states to take similar action to suspend their own gas taxes. The present federal gas tax is about 18 cents and 24 cents for diesel.
He claimed the idea that he was restricting domestic oil production was “nonsense.”
Biden calls criticism that he’s restricting domestic oil production “nonsense.” pic.twitter.com/JmptFjj4vt
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 22, 2022
But he has been attacking and restricting the industry ever since he came in, and gas prices have been rising ever since he came into office, long before Putin attacked Ukraine. Yet he keeps blaming Putin and he did again during his remarks.
Biden to companies that run gas pumps:
“This is a time of war. Global peril. Ukraine. These are not normal times. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product. Do it now. Do it today.” pic.twitter.com/1SCACLd8YO
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 22, 2022
He kept showing pictures of Ukraine behind him on the screen as he spoke, then pictures of electric vehicles. It was astonishing. They were trying hard to sell this, knowing this is hurting them big time. He acted as if not supporting the gas tax holiday was the equivalent of throwing Ukraine to the wolves.
Biden suggests that Republicans cannot simultaneously blame him for gas prices and oppose Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/xpLdVZ112C
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 22, 2022
But, even now, with all the harm that his policies have caused, Biden still won’t give up on phasing out fossil fuels. He said that while companies had to increase the supply in the near term, in the medium and long term that we still needed to transition from fossil fuels.
Biden claimed that he was “doing his part.”
Biden on lowering gas prices:
“I’m doing my part. I want the congress, the states, and the industry to do their part as well.” pic.twitter.com/pgMQ0dzU2n
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 22, 2022
Yes, doing his part to make everything worse.
But it’s not clear that he even has all the Democrats in Congress on board with this idea of pausing the gas tax.
NEWS: President Biden will call for gas tax holiday tomorrow, per multiple Hill sources
Top Democrats, including Speaker Pelosi, have been against the idea in recent months
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) June 21, 2022
As I noted earlier, it in fact could make things worse because it would increase the demand while not increasing the supply.
Biden has been in political office since the invention of the wheel, but he doesn’t seem to understand that. He hasn’t even absorbed that his former boss Barack Obama called it a gimmick back in 2008.
In 2008, Barack Obama bashed a “gas tax holiday” as a “gimmick.”
“For us to suggest 30 cents a day for three months is real relief, that that’s a real energy policy, means that we are not tackling the problem that has to be tackled.” pic.twitter.com/vUziTflOnb
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 22, 2022
“For us to suggest 30 cents a day for three months is real relief, that that’s a real energy policy, means that we are not tackling the problem that has to be tackled,” Obama said.
Even CNN wasn’t going for it. Matt Egan gets that it could increase demand and is raising the alarm that it could make inflation worse. It polls well, but it doesn’t mean it’s good to do, Egan said.
CNN’s Matt Egan on Biden’s proposed gas tax ‘holiday’: “It does nothing to fix supply.” pic.twitter.com/j8HyQ18Nuo
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 22, 2022
Journalist Jean Chatzky called it “optics” and explained it wasn’t worth much, if anything.
.@JeanChatzky on the Democrats’ plan to address record-breaking gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax:
“When it comes to the pocketbook of the average American, I think this is largely optics.” pic.twitter.com/LOY7dBb6Yb
— America Rising (@AmericaRising) June 22, 2022
But if it polls well, Biden thinks it will help him, even if the ultimate result is bad for Americans and just makes everything worse.
Meanwhile, Biden has been leaning on the oil companies to increase their production (while still saying he wants to phase out fossil fuels) and he did that again during his speech. He again touted releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve which hasn’t done anything to slow rising prices. Chevron’s CEO pointed out how bad this mixed message and constant attack on them was to stable production. Biden noted part of the problem was refineries. The industry also noted that they are at close to peak refinery capacity already, that they would have had more capacity but that nearly half of the capacity was taken off-line because of the facilities converting to renewable energy production. So who’s responsible for that? Staring right at you, Biden and Democrats.
Authored by Nick Arama via RedState
