Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, decried on Newsmax the Biden administration's staunch opposition toward the oil and gas industry while simultaneously tapping strategic oil reserves before the midterm elections.
Biden is "taking the strategic petroleum reserve and depleting it ... I mean, we have that strategic [oil reserve] for a reason. It's not meant to be juicing something artificially for an election cycle. Because that's not a substitute for changing course on policy is just dumping extra fuel into the domestic market at a lower price," Davidson told "Saturday Report."
On Friday, a group of eight House Democrats wrote to Biden to release more from the strategic oil reserve.
"With the national average of gas and oil prices still too high," the lawmakers wrote in a letter obtained by CNN, "it is clear Americans will need continued relief for the foreseeable future."
In the same report as the House Democrats' letter, a spokesperson for the Energy Department told CNN that the oil reserves were tapped "in response to Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war against Ukraine," and that "it has and continues to help mitigate supply disruptions and lower energy costs for American families as we see gas prices decline for 94 consecutive days. These emergency releases — the largest ever in US history — have been a supply lifeline to the American consumer."
But before Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Biden, in one of his first actions as president, signed a series of executive orders prioritizing climate change.
"We've already waited too long to deal with the climate crisis. We cannot wait any longer," Biden said in Jan. 2021, according to CNBC. "Our climate plans are ambitious. But we are America. We are unwavering in our commitment to innovation."
At the time, members of the oil and gas industry warned that Biden's policies could devastate the economy.
"Penalizing the oil and gas industry kills good-paying American jobs, hurts our already struggling economy, makes our country more reliant on foreign energy sources, and impacts those who rely on affordable and reliable energy," Anne Bradbury, president of the American Exploration and Production Council, said in Jan. of 2021.
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