The White House is blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for record-high gas prices in the United States, coining the surge as the #PutinPriceHike and vowing that President Biden will do everything he can to shield Americans "from pain at the pump."
Americans are experiencing the highest gas prices since the 2008 financial crisis, with the national gas price average reaching more than $4 per gallon – the highest average to date, according to AAA.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield on Wednesday tweeted that, for months, Putin "has been saber-rattling, and for months, gas prices have been going up — up 75 cents since he began his military build-up" along the Ukrainian border.
"This is the #PutinPriceHike in action, and @POTUS is going to use every tool at his disposal to shield Americans from pain at the pump," she wrote.
Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on all imports of Russian oil, gas and energy to the United States, targeting the "main artery" of Russia's economy amid Putin’s war on Ukraine.
During remarks from the White House Tuesday, though, Biden warned Americans that the ban would cost American families.
"Putin's war is already hurting American families at the gas pump since Putin began his military buildup on Ukrainian borders," Biden warned. "And with this action, it's going to go up further. I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hike here at home and coordination with our partners."
