Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice is the latest of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to blame President Biden for the energy crisis in this country.
In a column released this week, the Republican Representative said very much like Sen. James Lankford wrote earlier in the week, that the country’s energy power all changed the first day Biden became President.
“That all changed on Biden’s first day in office when he began his assault on domestic energy. He halted energy projects, shut down pipeline construction, and took every step to discourage the production of American energy,” said Rep. Bice.
“These poor decisions have caused the price of gasoline, natural gas, and electricity to skyrocket for hardworking Americans, jeopardized our national security, and made us reliant on foreign adversaries for energy.”
Bice attacked Biden’s latest sale of oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, saying by doing so, “Biden has placed a political bandage on the root cause of his energy crisis—”
Like others in the Oklahoma congressional delegation, Rep. Bice said because the SPR is now at the lowest point since 1984, it “poses a threat to our national security and places a steep burden on the American taxpayer to replenish it.”
Here is her column in which Bice discusses a strong economy that is needed for the U.S.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, our economy was strong. President Biden and House Democrats inherited an economy that was poised to return to its peak. In 2020, the average rate of inflation was only around 1.2% and gas and utility costs were affordable. Sadly, that is no longer the reality for our nation’s economy. After two years under Democrat control of Washington, inflation is at a 40-year high, gas prices are up more than 60%, and our supply chains are still disrupted. Americans can’t afford Democrats’ policies, but we are certainly all paying for them. Luckily, House Republicans have solutions to revive our economy and make daily life affordable again for Oklahomans.
It is common knowledge that wasteful government spending spurs inflation. The President and House Democrats ignored numerous warnings, and instead kept writing blank checks at the expense of millions of hardworking taxpayers. Now, every single American is feeling the crushing effects. Inflation has increased nearly 550% under this administration, and it will cost the average American household more than $8,000 over the next 12 months. This is more than one month of the average annual income being spent to simply put food on the table for your family. My Republican colleagues and I are committed to curbing wasteful government spending which has fueled the current economic crisis. We have plans to increase take-home pay, create good-paying jobs, and bring stability to the economy through pro-growth and deregulatory policies. It’s critical that we fight inflation and lower the cost of living for every American.
Not long ago, the U.S. was the largest energy producer in the world and gas was affordable. That all changed on Biden’s first day in office when he began his assault on domestic energy. He halted energy projects, shut down pipeline construction, and took every step to discourage the production of American energy. These poor decisions have caused the price of gasoline, natural gas, and electricity to skyrocket for hardworking Americans, jeopardized our national security, and made us reliant on foreign adversaries for energy. On top of this, Biden has placed a political bandage on the root cause of his energy crisis by repeatedly tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or the SPR. He has depleted this reserve, which is supposed to be used for weather emergencies or national security threats, more than every president combined. The SPR is now at the lowest point since 1984 which poses a threat to our national security and places a steep burden on the American taxpayer to replenish it. House Republicans have real, sustainable solutions to reduce gas prices and make America energy independent again. We plan to maximize production of American-made energy and cut the permitting process time in half to reduce reliance on foreign countries, prevent rolling blackouts, and lower the cost of gas and utilities. We must return to what America does best, which is producing clean, reliable, and affordable energy. States like Oklahoma have the capability to power our nation, the federal government just needs to get out of the way.
Another issue that Democrats have failed to act on is fixing our broken supply chains. A recent example of supply chain failures was the shortage of baby formula, which robbed Americans of necessities for the health and wellbeing of their families. Sadly, nearly 80% of small businesses have said supply chain issues have persisted or gotten worse in the last three months. As it stands, our country remains dangerously reliant on foreign countries like China for critical products such as minerals, medicine, and other national security items. It’s critical we strengthen the supply chain and work to end dependence on China by expanding U.S. manufacturing and enhancing America’s economic competitiveness and resilience.
Americans shouldn’t have to choose between driving to work, heating their homes, and putting food on the table. Through committee and task force work over the past year and a half, my Republican colleagues and I have identified practical policy proposals that will strengthen our economy as represented in our Commitment to America. Those solutions can be found here.