The White House spent much of the last week touting gas prices, which have fallen modestly for the better part of two months after serving as a thorn in the side of the Biden administration for nearly a full year.
President Joe Biden has blamed a host of outside factors such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, corporate greed, and even gas station owners for prices that eclipsed above $5 a gallon on average earlier this summer but are now celebrating a steady fall.
BIDEN BUILDS POLL NUMBERS BACK BETTER — BUT THEY’RE STILL BAD
“We’re now seeing 50 days into what remains the fastest decline in gas prices in over a decade,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Aug. 3. “Gas prices are now down 86 cents a gallon from their June peak, saving American families with two cars on average over $90 a month on gas. And drivers can now find gas for less than $3.99 a gallon at more than half of all gas stations across the country.”
Jean-Pierre appeared twice during the last week before a chart in the West Wing’s Brady Briefing Room, the second time showcasing an average drop of 86 cents per gallon since June 14. Prices are below $3.75 a gallon in much of the Southeast but still hovering around $5 on the west coast.
The White House is touting its draws from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, record American oil production of 12 million barrels a day, and increased refinery capacity as causing the drop. While it’s debatable how much of a role Biden played in either the rise or fall in gas prices, the recent trend is good news for Democrats, argues party strategist Brad Bannon.
“The reality is that Democrats were looking at a hurricane about a month ago, and now, they’re trying to move forward against a stiff wind,” said Bannon. “The Democratic position has definitely improved in the last month.”
Conservatives have nonetheless criticized the administration’s approach since many of Biden’s first actions in office were designed to decrease oil output. Biden killed the Keystone XL pipeline and initiated a moratorium on federal drilling leases during his first week in office.
“Gas prices have dipped a bit only after record-high prices and inflation have cut demand and consumer spending,” said Steve Milloy, senior policy adviser to the E&E Legal Institute and former Trump administration Environmental Protection Agency official. “But Biden and his regime view high gas prices as a success, believing it advances their twisted climate agenda. So sadly for America, gas prices won’t meaningfully decline as long Democrats hold political power.”
Bannon disagrees with the assessment.
“Biden has done a lot,” he counters. “He’s tried to encourage oil imports from other countries. He’s released oil from the petroleum reserve. He’s taken several actions to help bring down gas prices. So I think those Republican charges are ridiculous.”
Still, gas prices are up $1.72 a gallon on average from the day the president took office, which a reporter brought up during Friday’s White House press briefing.
“Are teachers and nurses and firefighters saying, ‘Gas is only $4.11 a gallon. This is great’?” asked Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy.
Jean-Pierre responded that the relatively lower prices of the last few weeks offer families a little bit of breathing room, repeating a line often mentioned by Biden.
While the news of late is undoubtedly good for Biden and for his party, Republicans scoff at the notion that his administration is helping bring down gas prices.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) has slammed Democrats’ rhetoric and accused them of failing to work across the aisle on solutions to bring prices down, arguing that reliance on foreign oil has resulted in a lack of energy independence…
Read More: White House touts falling gas prices, but is it too early to celebrate?