(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Democrats have unleashed a full-panic gaslighting campaign in response to House Republican legislation that would help boost American energy independence and curb President Joe Biden’s reckless raids on the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
After Biden repeatedly tapped the SPR to artificially suppress gas prices in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, the new House GOP-majority is expected to pass the Strategic Production Response Act. The legislation would prohibit the Biden regime from further raiding the SPR without producing a plan to increase oil and gas leasing on federal lands.
The bill provides provisions that would allow the reserves to be tapped in the event of an actual energy emergency, not a political one like Biden has repeatedly been accused of manufacturing to justify his raids.
Rattled by the prospect of actually having to address the gas crisis it created, instead of simply draining the nation’s emergency supply of oil for political gain, administration officials went on the offensive and tried to preemptively blame Republicans for any price hikes at the pumps that might ensue.
KJP: “This week, House Republicans will vote to raise gas prices on American families.” pic.twitter.com/AFTVW0yAbu
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 23, 2023
Should the bill make it through the House and Democrat-controlled Senate, where it would likely face stiff opposition, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm vowed it would face a veto from Biden.
“He will not allow the American people to suffer because of the backwards agenda that House Republicans are advancing,” Granholm warbled.
The Biden administration last year drained the oil reserve to historically low levels in a series of draw-downs that Republicans called recklessly dangerous and politically motivated.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., blasted Biden when he attempted one of his string of oil grabs in October, accusing the president of continuing “to mortgage our nation’s energy security by drawing down the SPR to record lows.”
With no plan for how to replace the depleted supply, Republicans argued that the legislation is needed to keep the nation’s oil supply intact for national security.
“What happens if a war breaks out? That’s gonna lead to a major disruption in oil supplies,” said Bob Latta, a House Energy and Commerce Committee member. “We need to work together to prepare for all contingencies.”
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., touched on a similar point in response to Democrats’ hysterics about the bill and also their disingenuous warnings about it leading to higher gas prices.
“If the President declares an emergency resulting from an energy supply disruption, the Secretary has full authority to utilize the SPR—HR 21 will not change or hamper that,” Rodgers, the House Energy and Commerce Committee chair, said last week, according to The Hill.
The GOP bill “simply addresses the politically-motivated use of the SPR,” she said.
