NE Wisconsin News

The Biden administration is placing blame on Russia's leader Vladimir Putin for record-high gas prices in the U.S.

After over a year of historic inflation, President Biden now blames Putin for economic woes here in the states. The president and his administration have recently publicly coined "#PutinPriceHike" to divert Americans' anger toward the Russian leader as opposed to Biden. However, historical data shows inflationary gas prices have been an issue since early 2021 when Biden took office and immediately stifled U.S. energy production.

"Let me first say that Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

According to a February report from Statista, U.S. inflation has been steadily increasing since Biden took office in January 2021. In January 2021, the rate was 1.4%, and in January 2022, it was 7.5%.

"This is a Putin spike at the gas pump, not one prompted by our sanctions," Psaki further claimed.

As inflation has been on a steady uptick over the past year, so have U.S. gas prices, as reported in historical data from YCharts. The site reports that the average price in March 2021 was $2.94 per gallon. At the start of February, the price was $3.53, which jumped to $3.70 on Feb. 28, four days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Congressman Dan Newhouse of Washington State believes the Biden administration is to blame for where the country stands today amid high energy prices. 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."

On the same day, President Biden announced an immediate ban on all U.S. imports of Russian oil, gas and energy. According to Fox News, the White House has coined "#PutinPriceHike" on Twitter and during recent public remarks.

Americans have been paying the highest gas prices since 2008. The national average has reached $4.32 per gallon, as reported by the American Automobile Association (AAA). The Wall Street Journal reports that oil prices have been on the rise for months due to the global economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, and that petroleum refiners still aren't back to producing the amount of oil they were before the pandemic. The U.S. imported about 8% of crude oil and refined products from Russia in 2021.

In early 2021, President Biden stifled domestic energy production by signing a series of executive orders that instead prioritize climate change.

On March 9, Wisconsin House members introduced a bill that would move America back toward energy independence. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and several of his colleagues have established the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. Empower Wisconsin said the bill would require the Biden administration to develop an energy security plan and expand American oil and natural gas production to offset Russian imports.