Reps. Ted Budd (R-NC) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK) introduced legislation Thursday to block President Joe Biden’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) sales until Biden cancels his executive orders blocking energy development on federal land.
Budd and Bice unveiled the Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act as a way to push for Biden to stop his assault on energy development on federal lands.
Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Bob Gibbs (R-OH) cosponsored the legislation.
Budd said in a statement to Breitbart News that Biden needs to abandon his climate change policies to solve the energy crisis.
“President Biden has caused this energy crisis by blocking the development of American fuel sources. That makes his recent use of the SPR nothing more than a band-aid solution to a self-created problem,” Budd explained to Breitbart News. “The best way to solve high fuel prices is for President Biden to reverse his radical environmentalist agenda and pursue an ‘all of the above’ strategy that gets us back to American energy independence.”
Bice said in a statement to Breitbart News that Biden’s climate change agenda has harmed American jobs.
“President Biden’s actions continue to degrade our nation’s oil and gas industry and the high-paying jobs that it provides. Instead of turning to American companies to increase output, Biden used his executive power to release 50 million barrels of oil from our country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help lower gas price,” Bice said. “That’s why the Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act is important. This legislation would disallow the president from ordering a sell off from the SPR while executive orders or mandates are in effect blocking oil and gas leasing on federal lands. The SPR was created specifically to draw upon in times of emergency or significant shortage, not to help a president whose strategies have failed to save face with the American people.”
Biden tapped into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help lower energy prices during emergency situations. As prices have spiked across the board, Biden said he would release 50 million barrels to reduce rising gas prices. Gas prices have hit the highest levels in seven years.
Biden also claimed that gas companies were gouging Americans. Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney found that claim was false.
Ironically, gas prices soared after Biden announced his move to lower gas prices by releasing the nation’s SPR.
Further, after selling off the nation’s SPR, the federal government might have the replenish the SPR at higher gas prices to maintain the SPR reserve.
Biden announced bans on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters in the first month of his administration. Biden also announced in late November a plan to increase the price of oil leasing fees on federal lands in the United States by 50 percent, while gas prices continued to rise.
The Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act would ensure that presidents only use the SPR as an emergency measure of last resort.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.