They never own up to their mistakes.
As gas prices soar, progressives are urging President Biden to move toward green energy sources to stop gas companies from “looting Americans at the gas pump” while criticizing Democrats’ ties to fossil fuel.
Criticizing Democrats’ ties to fossil fuel, Jeri Sheperd from Colorado, a member of the Democratic National Committee, noted: “We seem to have little or no political will… to get the oil and gas industry to straighten up and fly right.”
She added that it would be “Regular people… feeling the pain, and we as a political system are going to be indifferent.”
Two Democrats who are getting the brunt of progressives’ blowback are Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has proudly accepted fossil fuel funding, and Rep. Henry Cueller (D-TX.), who has taken contributions from political action committees linked to the oil and gas industry.
Liberals have also taken issue with gas prices remaining high despite the price per barrel decreasing, with many saying that oil and gas corporations are experiencing a boon on the backs of struggling Americans.
This week, President Joe Biden added his voice to the frustrations aimed at oil giants.
On Wednesday, Biden tweeted, “Last time was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it’s $4.31. Oil and gas companies shouldn’t pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans.”
According to AAA, the national average for gas stood at $4.32 a gallon as of Tuesday (March 15).
To dissuade gas companies from keeping prices exorbitantly high even when the per barrel price decreases, Senator Sheldon White House (D-R.I.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA.) introduced a bill last week to tax “windfall profits.”
The bill has gained support from Independent Senator Bernie Sander (Vt.) and climate activists outside Congress.
Climate groups have also increased their attacks on oil companies, with Paul Meija, spokesperson for the grassroots-led Sunrise Movement saying, “The fossil fuel industry is really showing us their playbook,” before adding that they were “looting Americans at the gas pump.”
To address the situation, these same climate groups have touted the U.S. no longer relying on fossil fuels; instead using renewable energy sources.
“Fighting authoritarians and oil oligarchs by merely propagating and empowering our own is a false solution,” Meija added. He concluded by saying, “Continuing to rely on oil and gas is nowhere near energy secure.”
