The Biden administration hit back against claims from the GOP that its policies have pushed up gas prices, instead saying that prices are “still well in-line” with recent decades and touting its pandemic response for increasing fuel demand.
“The Administration’s success in beating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track has led to increased demand for gas as the country re-opens,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND GAS PRICES HIGHEST SINCE 2014 AS TRAVEL REBOUNDS
“But, while prices have increased from the lows last year — as demand drastically dipped — prices at just about $3 per gallon are still well in-line with what they’ve been in recent decades,” Psaki added. She said people are “paying about the same as they did in May 2018 and May 2019.”
Her statement comes as the Energy Information Administration said Friday that gas prices heading into Memorial Day weekend are the highest this time of year since 2014. The higher gas prices come as more than 37 million people are expected to hit the roads, most of them by car, as more states lift coronavirus restrictions for fully vaccinated people.
Gas prices spiked earlier this month after the hack and shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which is responsible for nearly half of the East Coast’s fuel supply. States in the southeast such as Georgia and South Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C., are still regaining fuel, according to GasBuddy.
Psaki, in her statement, said prices have “already stabilized” now that the Colonial Pipeline is fully back online and areas regain supply.
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“This is due in part to the administration’s aggressive, whole-of-government response to the unprecedented shutdown of that pipeline,” Psaki said.
Psaki added that President Joe Biden recognizes gas prices “are a pain point for Americans,” and she reiterated that that is why Biden is opposed to raising the gas tax.
