Biden blames COVID AND Putin for soaring gas prices
President Joe Biden said Thursday that record gas prices were caused by the pandemic and Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine as he unveiled a two-pronged plan to increase supply and reduce demand.
He announced he would release a million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic reserve for the next six months and accelerate the switch to electric vehicle.
But his analysis of the cause of the crisis will attract criticism for opponents who accuse him of shifting the blame for his administration’s economic woes.
‘The problem we’re facing with gas prices has two roots,’ Biden told reporters at the White House.
‘First, the pandemic. When COVID struck demand for oil plummeted so production slowed down worldwide.
‘Because of the strength and the speed of recovery, demand for oil shot back up much faster than the supply. That’s why the cost of gas began to rise last year.
‘The second root is Vladimir Putin.’