Republican leadership is slamming Joe Biden for the rise in gas prices. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy blames Biden’s socialist policies for driving up costs. Millions of American families are struggling financially due to the pandemic. Prices are rising across the board – food prices (despite what the Biden administration claims), building supplies, home improvement supplies, and now gas prices at the pump are surging to a seven-year high.

It looks like those $ 0.16 savings we got from our Fourth of July food are being spent to buy gas for the next trip to work or the grocery store. No, the food savings weren’t real but the increase in gas prices is for everyone. Kevin McCarthy told the New York Post that Biden should stop the lame bragging over such a minuscule amount of money for food and concentrate on bringing the cost of fuel down.

McCarthy (R-Calif.) told The Post, “Americans are paying more in Biden’s America. The cost of gasoline has surged to the highest price since 2014, a time when Biden was last serving in office. President Biden’s disastrous energy policies have decimated American energy independence and increased costs for the American people.

“Rather than bragging about saving you just 16 cents at your barbecue, President Biden should recognize that his socialist policies are driving up costs for millions of American families.”

Americans are facing sticker shock at the pump as gas prices soared this week to a seven-year high. Since the start of the year, drivers have endured a 40% cost increase when filling up, with AAA reporting a gallon of fuel has hit $3.13.

Blame Biden’s anti-fossil fuel extremists in the administration making energy decisions as well as OPEC. The global price of oil reached a six-year high in July. OPEC and its partners failed to reach a deal this week on production going forward. OPEC talks, which normally calm the markets, have been postponed indefinitely. This is happening as Americans embrace the new freedoms allowed now that the pandemic is waning. Americans are hitting the road for summer adventures or visits with family and friends. There is a lot of catching up to do for those who have been separated for more than a year due to lockdowns. Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, 43.6 million people were expected on the roads. Driving is up 40% over this time last year.

As we know, America experienced energy independence during the Trump administration. That little taste of freedom has been quickly squashed by Team Biden. One of Joe’s first acts in the White House was to cancel the Keystone pipeline project. It’s been downhill from there. That signature on the executive order alone resulted in thousands of workers losing their jobs. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about gas prices this week and she did as she usually does – she provided an answer meant to assure listeners that Biden is working on it.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the issue Tuesday, saying, “The president wants Americans to have access to affordable and reliable energy, including at the pump.” She went on to add that “our team is constantly monitoring gas prices and directly communicating with OPEC parties to get to a deal and allow proposed production increases to move forward.”

That little load of malarkey is laughable. So, “the team” is monitoring prices and talking to OPEC members? That means that they check the price when they fill up at the gas station and they are placing calls to oil-producing countries that are being ignored. OPEC isn’t meeting now and there’s no plan for that to change any time soon. OPEC countries have no intention of opening up the spigots and letting more oil flow. They are making money now with increased demands and they don’t plan on anything but enjoying the profits. Psaki thinks you are stupid, America.

Discussions began last week between OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, as the energy alliance sought to establish output policy for the remainder of the year. The group on Friday voted on a proposal that would have returned 400,000 barrels per day to the market each month from August through December, resulting in an additional 2 million barrels per day by the end of the year. Members also proposed extending the output cuts through the end of 2022.

The United Arab Emirates rejected these proposals, however, and talks stretched from Thursday to Friday as the group tried to reach a consensus. Initially, discussions were set to resume on Monday but were ultimately called off.

“The date of the next meeting will be decided in due course,” OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said in a statement.

In April 2020 the oil market crashed because of the pandemic and OPEC removed nearly 10 million barrels per day of production in an effort to support prices. That was a historic move for the organization. Now the UAE claims the deal begin negotiated by OPEC members isn’t a good one for them. The UAE could support a short-term increase in supply but wants better terms to extend the deal through 2022.

This is not good news for the American economic recovery post-pandemic.

“With no increase in production, the forthcoming growth in demand should see global energy markets tighten up at an even faster pace than anticipated,” analysts at TD Securities wrote in a note to clients.

“This impasse will lead to a temporary and significantly larger-than-anticipated deficit, which should fuel even higher prices for the time being. The summer breakout in oil prices is set to gather steam at a fast clip,” the firm added.

Also, take into consideration distribution problems post-pandemic. There is a shortage of oil-tank truck drivers, who gas stations depend on for fuel deliveries. This brought about gas shortages during the busy July 4th holiday weekend in some parts of the country. The ransomware attack in May that shut down the Colonial Pipeline didn’t help supplies. There was a 9% increase in gas prices in April because of shipping container shortages, congested ports, and production cuts.

We are at the mercy of OPEC again. Budget accordingly. Thanks, Joe.