Biden turns to America’s enemies to solve energy problems of his own making

OPINION - In the face of rising gasoline prices, U.S. President Joe Biden has instructed his administration to turn to the likes of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia to produce more oil. “Higher gasoline prices, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement Wednesday.

As a result, the White House is in contact with Saudi Arabia to get OPEC+ members to increase output. Simultaneously, the Federal Trade Commission has been instructed to “monitor the U.S. gasoline market and address any illegal conduct that might be contributing to price increases for consumers at the pump.”

It is rather odd that this administration would assume thievery and underhandedness as the first, and thus most likely, cause of a rise in a specific commodity price.

Ignoring solutions at home. Not offered as a solution are America’s own domestic sources of oil and gas production. This makes sense, as Biden and his nominees are scrapping transmission networks like the Keystone XL pipeline, while demonstrating such passion for ending oil and gas exploration that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is willing to openly defy a federal judge’s order to reinstate leasing programs.

With consumer costs rising across the board, and intermittent shortages of basic goods playing havoc with housing and transportation supply, Biden’s team has decided it’s time to get to the bottom of rising gasoline prices. It’s a curious maneuver, as such for-the-people grandstanding is typically only used in election years. It won’t make a whit of difference when prices for rent, groceries and utilities are also climbing out of reach.

No common sense. It’s not fair to expect the President to know off the top of his head how much the price of a gallon of milk has gone up since he took office, or exactly how much tighter the rental home inventory has become. It is fair, however, to expect the President to act rationally in the face of economic factors that challenge the American people. It is reasonable to expect him to, if not encourage, at least allow American industry to rise to the needs of its nation.

Gasoline prices are rising, right along with all the other daily expenses that the American voter faces. If the Biden administration genuinely wants to reduce fuel prices, it must set aside its contorted ideologies and let the U.S. meet its own needs. And in the case of the federal judge’s decision, Biden must ensure his Cabinet nominees obey the law.