Life under the Biden administration has been harder and more costly for Americans. Over the past two years, inflation has reached a 40-year high and gas prices have skyrocketed. According to a recent poll, 87% of likely U.S. voters are concerned about high gas prices, and within that group 57% are extremely concerned. 

This reality is why President Biden and his political team have been working to change the narrative around gas prices and enacted an array of gimmicks and short term “fixes” to address the political downside of high gas prices, mainly discontent with the party in power. On Tuesday, exactly two weeks before the midterm elections, President Biden delivered his closing argument on why the American people should vote for Democrats and keep his progressive agenda going. He specifically referenced gas prices and went so far as to suggest that the recent dip in prices was a cause for celebration or even thanks. But has the President’s actions produced “real savings” for American families?  

And partly because of the actions we’ve taken – including a historic release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve – gas prices are decreasing. They’re down $1.20 since their peak this summer and just this week they fell another 10 cents. That’s adding up to real savings for families.
President Joe Biden

False. Completely make believe.

This statement is dishonest and represents political deception at its worst. The reason for high-cost gas is the progressive war against fossil fuels, which has been the bedrock of Biden’s anti-prosperity agenda. 

Even accounting for the recent dip in gas prices, Americans are paying a much higher price for gas today than they were two years ago. In January 2021, when President Biden officially took office, gas prices averaged $2.39 a gallon. The average price today is $3.76. Sure, they are down from the $5 per gallon high this summer, but that should not be a measure of success. Americans are paying $1.37 more per gallon today—a 57% increase compared to two years ago. Suggesting this as “real savings” is a gut-punch to the many Americans struggling to put food on their table or gas in their cars due to rising costs. 

Further concerning is the President’s continued misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which will fail to substantively address expensive gas and is creating a major vulnerability for national security. After the completion of the latest announced release, our strategic reserve will be at levels not seen since 1984. Instead of treating SPR as an insurance policy against unexpected disasters and serious supply disruptions, Team Biden has used it to address political disasters of their own making. 

It’s no coincidence that the president’s latest SPR release will end in November, immediately after the midterm election. It’s also no coincidence that he announced the latest release after the Saudis refused to delay planned production cuts for “one month,” which was the Biden administration’s official request that would have pushed the announcement into December. This blatant political request prompted the Saudis to issue a rare statement calling Team Biden out. 

Meanwhile, nothing has been done to address the real reasons prices have skyrocketed. Team Biden continues to double down on the anti-development policies that led to high costs and diminished pocketbooks for so many Americans.