‘Let Me Finish!’ Psaki and Doocy Clash Over Gas Prices and Foreign Oil at White House Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki blamed Russia and a “dependence on fossil fuels” for skyrocketing gas prices on Monday.
Americans woke to gas prices nearing record highs as oil briefly passed $130 per barrel on Sunday.
Psaki was peppered with questions about the crisis during her daily press conference. Gas prices are naturally compounding issues for Americans who have already struggled with inflation.
While addressing reporters, Psaki initially blamed the price at the pump on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
During an exchange with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, Psaki offered no immediate answers regarding how the White House intends ease the pain at gas pumps.
“It sound like you are blaming [Vladimir Putin] for the increase in gas prices recently.” Doocy noted, “But weren’t gas prices going up anyway, because of post-pandemic supply chain issues?”
Psaki responded by doubling down that Russia’s war against the Ukrainian people is the driver of high fuel prices.
She stated: “Well, I there’s no question that as we have seen, and outside analysts have conveyed this as well, the increase and the anticipated continued increase, which is what I think some of your colleagues were asking about, that that is a direct result of the invasion of Ukraine.”
Doocy then pressed Psaki on why the White House is not doing everything it can to encourage immediate American energy independence.
“We’re asking other countries to think about maybe pumping more oil,” he noted, before he asked, “Why not just do it here?”
After some back and forth in which Psaki demanded, “Let me finish,” Doocy noted that on his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to halt new drilling leases on public lands, which also canceled the lease of the Keystone XL pipeline.
“Are you suggesting that would solve the gas prices issue?” Psaki responded with regard to the pipeline.
Doocy pressed, “Well, do you think that would maybe effect prices faster than getting the whole country off of fossil fuels?”
He then asked Psaki what pump price it would take for Biden to shelve his “ambitious” climate agenda to throw Americans a lifeline on gas prices.
Psaki concluded the crisis at the pump is evidence that Americans need to be weaned off of fossil fuels.
“What we can do to prevent this from being a challenge in future crises, the best thing we can do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil,” she said.
Watch above, via the White House.
