(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) MSNBC‘s Stephanie Ruhle challenged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over rising gas prices on her show, “The 11th Hour.”
Ruhle had Buttigieg on the show for an interview about gas prices and other transportation-related topics. The segment opened with a clip of a reporter asking President Joe Biden how far America was willing to go to hold Russia accountable, NewsBusters reported.
Biden responded by saying nothing was off the table if Russia’s aggression escalated, including banning Russian oil imports.
“President Biden keeping open the option of sancitoning Russian oil exports, even as the cost continues to climb,” said Ruhle. “Oil prices have jumped to their highest level since 2011, topping more than $113 a barrel.
“So what does that do? It impacts the price of gas.”
Ruhle then introduced Buttigieg, immediatly inquiring about the tangible efforts the administration was making to address rising gas prices.
“A lot of folks sometimes overstate the influence that any one politician can have on gas prices,” the secretary of transportation responded.
He said that Biden does intend to influence the prices of other items such as housing, child care and insulin. Ruhle pressured Buttigieg to stay on topic, and asked about the possibility of reopening the Keystone pipeline.
Buttigieg dismissed this idea, as this was one of the turnkey elements of Biden’s presidential campaign and would upset many in the Democrat voter base.
With uncertainty surrounding our oil supply, Buttigieg has had little to offer outside of buzz words and abstract plans. In an interview with CBS, Buttigieg gave a similar non-response when asked whether or not Biden would be open to more drilling on American soil.
“The president has laid out and taken a number of steps including addressing the strategic petroleum reserve,” Buttigieg said.
“Including diplomatic efforts to increase global oil production and other ideas that have been raised that are on the table because everything deserves to be considered.”
