Democrats Push Policies That Raised Gas Prices While Blaming Republicans

Clear Facts

• President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, blocking 830,000 barrels of Canadian oil daily from reaching U.S. refineries.
• President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act in 2015, and Senate efforts to override the veto failed.
• Gas prices reached $5.03 per gallon under President Biden in June 2022 and $4.55 per gallon under President Obama in May 2011, while the highest price during President Trump’s term reached $4.55 in mid-May.

The irony runs deep in this election cycle. Democrats campaigned heavily on concerns over rising fuel costs. At the same time, their record shows repeated efforts to restrict domestic energy production and increase costs at the pump through regulation and taxation.

President Biden’s first executive action ended the Keystone XL pipeline project that would have delivered heavy crude from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries designed to process it. Those refineries produce diesel and jet fuel, the very products now in high demand.

President Obama blocked the same pipeline years earlier by vetoing legislation Congress had passed. Attempts to override that veto failed in the Senate.

“Under my plan there will be a carbon fee.”

Kamala Harris made that statement on September 4, 2019, while campaigning for president. Pete Buttigieg also endorsed a carbon tax, stating it should be called what it is.

Once in office, Buttigieg pushed automakers to shift production to electric vehicles despite weak consumer demand. Major manufacturers recorded billions in losses on unsold electric inventory and canceled expansion plans.

The Green New Deal framework found its way into the Inflation Reduction Act. That legislation directed trillions toward green energy programs and contributed to the 21.5 percent cumulative inflation recorded during the Biden years.

Inflation-adjusted prices show the scale of past increases. The $4.55 peak under President Obama would equal roughly $6.78 today. The $5.03 peak under President Biden would equal about $5.79 today.

President Trump has stated that once the Iranian conflict ends, prices should return near the $3 level seen before the war. Voters remain skeptical after earlier timelines proved inaccurate.

Democrats have a long record of supporting policies that restrict supply and raise costs. That history leaves them little ground to criticize current prices.

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