The Biden White House admitted on Thursday that record-high gas prices are part of a broader scheme to usher in the “liberal world order” at Americans’ expense.
On CNN, Biden’s director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, made clear that high gas prices are a part of the plan, as the administration promotes prohibitively expensive electric vehicles to struggling consumers.
“What do you say to those families who say, ‘Listen, we can’t afford to pay $4.85 a gallon for months if not years. It’s just not sustainable’?” the CNN host asked.
“What you heard from the president today was a clear articulation of the stakes,” Deese said. “This is about the future of the liberal world order and we have to stand firm.”
Former @BlackRock exec/Biden econ adviser @BrianDeeseNEC on $5/gallon gas: "This is about the future of the liberal world order and we have to stand firm." pic.twitter.com/XqfRScdsmh
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 1, 2022
Deese was referring to Joe Biden’s comments at the NATO summit in Madrid, after one reporter asked the president, “How long is it fair to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war?” in reference to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which only spiked prices that were already elevated long before the war started.
“As long as it takes,” Biden said.
Deese then highlighted the administration’s efforts to “blunt” rising gas prices, including proposals for global price caps on Russian oil and a temporary gas tax holiday. Such policy maneuvers, however, are unlikely to make a difference without more oil and gas production in the United States, operations the White House has continued to shut down.
In May, Biden’s Department of the Interior killed plans for major oil and gas projects across the country from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico. When the administration announced the resumption of new oil and gas leases on federal lands to comply with a court order, the White House did so with a 50 percent spike in royalties while offering only 20 percent of the land initially nominated for exploration.
Other administration officials have left no room for doubt about their intentions, which has choked investment in the capital- and labor-intensive industry.
“President Biden remains absolutely committed to not moving forward with additional drilling on public lands,” White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy pledged on MSNBC.
Meanwhile, the president’s proposed break on federal gas taxes is a gimmick that will only offer more revenues for corporate sellers, who are able to pocket the savings as gas prices remain dictated by the open market and driven higher by the government-induced scarcity.
Deese also said the White House was “engaged with the industry” to increase oil and gas supplies and bring refinery capacity back online. But as the administration shutters down oil and gas operations, Biden also shut down plans for a major refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands two months ago. Five refineries have closed down operations since 2020, with few prospects of reopening under an administration that has followed through on its pledge to regulate the industry out of business.
Source: The Federalist
