Executives from the U.S. oil and other industries were invited to the White House on Monday for discussions with officials amid soaring gas prices and rising inflation, sources told Reuters.
The Marathon Petroleum Corp. refining company was among the expected guests, as were representatives from the agriculture and food industries, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats have been pushing the chief executives of major oil companies to increase production amid rising prices at the gas pumps.
Biden has blamed the latest spike on Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. The United States has imposed several rafts of sanctions on Russia over its attack, including an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports.
U.S. consumer prices, including for rent and food, have also surged, and inflation is poised to accelerate even further as Russia's war against Ukraine drives up the costs of crude oil and other commodities.