Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is plotting a counter to President Biden’s soaring gas prices before the midterm elections.
Monday night, Pelosi met with her Democrat leadership team to address the gas prices that are expected to cost the American driver an extra $2,000 per year in 2022, according to Punchbowl News. The meeting did not lead to a direct plan of action, though “some senior Democrats still hope the House can act next week before Easter recess but the path forward remains unclear.”
Democrats have proposed a number of solutions to solve the gas price spike that has come under Biden’s presidency. The average price of gas has increased by about 70 cents since Russia invaded Ukraine. But gas prices had already risen by about $1.00 since Biden assumed office and began to wage war on American energy independence.
A marquee displays gas prices at a Shell station on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, in San Francisco. President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from America’s strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs, in coordination with other major energy consuming nations, including India, the United Kingdom and China.
Democrats have proposed giving out cash and rebates to compensate drivers for Biden’s gas hike. But those solutions will likely further burden taxpayers who are unlikely to support giving more distributive money during a time when prices are at a 40-year-high.
Pelosi told Punchbowl News that those ideas are still preliminary and that she is listening for different ideas to lower pain at the pump. There were no reports of Pelosi weighing the ultimate solution, such as unleashing American energy to reduce fuel costs.
“We’re listening to members to see what they think. We have a variety of opinions on the subject. We want to lower the cost at the pump but not hurt our trust fund contributions,” she said. “So we’ll have to find a way to offset.”
The publication noted that Democrats are in trouble heading into the midterm elections with sky-high gas prices. As a result, Biden and Pelosi have used the tactics of language usage to manipulate the public into thinking the soaring gas prices are “Putin’s gas hike” or, alliteratively, “Putin’s price hike.”