Republicans Wrongly Blame Biden for Rising Gas Prices (Fact check by NYT)

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/us/politics/fact-check-republicans-biden-gas.html?smid=tw-share

No paywall
https://archive.ph/fBSnT

WASHINGTON — As gas prices hit a high this week, top Republican lawmakers took to the airwaves and the floors of Congress with misleading claims that pinned the blame on President Biden and his energy policies.

Mr. Biden warned that his ban on imports of Russian oil, gas and coal, announced on Tuesday as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, would cause gas prices to rise further. High costs are expected to last as long as the confrontation does.

While Republican lawmakers supported the ban, they asserted that the pain at the pump long preceded the war in Ukraine. Gas price hikes, they said, were the result of Mr. Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, the temporary halt on new drilling leases on public lands and the surrendering of “energy independence” — all incorrect assertions.

Here’s a fact check of their claims.

*snip*

[hlthe2b]

1. More from the pay-walled site (for those without access):

These claims are misleading. The primary reason for rising gas prices over the past year is the coronavirus pandemic and its disruptions to global supply and demand.

“Covid changed the game, not President Biden,” said Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, which tracks gasoline prices. “U.S. oil production fell in the last eight months of President Trump’s tenure. Is that his fault? No.” “The pandemic brought us to our knees,” Mr. De Haan added.

In the early months of 2020, when the virus took hold, demand for oil dried up and prices plummeted, with the benchmark price for crude oil in the United States falling to negative $37.63 that April. In response, producers in the United States and around the world began decreasing output.
--snip--

As pandemic restrictions loosened worldwide and economies recovered, demand outpaced supply. That was “mostly attributable” to the decision by OPEC Plus, an alliance of oil-producing countries that controls about half the world’s supply, to limit increases in production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Domestic production also remains below prepandemic levels, as capital spending declined and investors remained reluctant to provide financing to the oil industry.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only compounded the issues.

[Nevilledog]

2. Is the no paywall link I provided not working for you?

[hlthe2b]

3. Sorry. I misread your note re: non-paywall. I actually went through my own subscriber bookmark.

[mitch96]

4. That's their M.O... blame Biden for everything and Faux echo's it..

If a gnat farts in the Congo it's Biden's fault... It's in their playbook to "own the libs"...
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