The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is now lower than it has been in four years.
That matters, and it didn’t happen by accident.
It matters because energy costs touch every part of family life—from groceries and utilities to commuting and heating a home. There is still a long way to go to repair the damage done by years of inflation and reckless policy, but one truth is undeniable: when energy costs fall, affordability improves.
It happened because of the Trump Administration’s laser-like focus on producing more of our own energy, fulfilling a key campaign promise and making America stronger.
And that’s exactly why a sudden wave of concern from certain politicians about affordability should be treated with deep skepticism.
The usual suspects of lawmakers are feigning outrage, declaring affordability a “crisis,” and pretending to be champions of working families. Yet, these are the same failed politicians who proudly championed the Green New Deal—a radical agenda that would impose massive, unavoidable costs on American households.
Their newfound concern isn’t leadership. It’s hypocrisy.
Let’s start with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Recently, AOC took to social media to complain about affordability and blame others for rising costs. But she wants Americans to forget her own words. When discussing the Green New Deal in 2019, Ocasio-Cortez admitted that the plan would cost trillions upon trillions of dollars—up to $93 trillion by some estimates.
That’s not a typo. Trillion. With a “T.”
That price tag carries real costs for real families. Estimates cited by multiple outlets conclude that complying with Green New Deal-style mandates—forced home retrofits, electric vehicles, appliance replacements, and energy system overhauls—would cost the average household tens of thousands in the first year alone. Anyone who measures policy “success” in the trillions doesn’t get to lecture the public about affordability.
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Then there’s California Governor Gavin Newsom.
As he fans the flames on his presidential run, Newsom has suddenly discovered concern for household budgets. But families in California know better. Under Newsom’s tenure, California has the second-highest electricity rates in the nation. Energy bills have skyrocketed, driven by aggressive green mandates, renewable quotas, and regulatory strangulation of reliable power sources.
If Newsom truly cared about affordability, he should explain why families in his state pay dramatically more for electricity than nearly everyone else in America. He wouldn’t brag about climate goals while Californians ration power, face rolling blackouts, and watch their utility bills climb year after year. Affordability doesn’t begin with press releases—it begins with policy, and Newsom’s record is an unmitigated failure.
U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren continue the hypocrisy tour. Both express outrage at grocery prices, particularly the cost of eggs, beef, and other staples. Yet Sanders crisscrosses the country on private jets while lecturing about climate change. Warren pushes policies that would force families to buy electric vehicles, replace appliances, and comply with sweeping energy mandates that disproportionately hurt those living paycheck to paycheck.
The irony is staggering. It’s dishonest to defend the kitchen table budget while demanding policies that require tens of thousands of dollars in mandatory upgrades. Studies analyzing Green New Deal-style policies estimate first-year compliance costs alone could exceed $70,000 for a typical household when factoring in vehicles, home energy systems, and appliances. That’s not compassion—it’s coercion.
Lastly, there’s California U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna. He may be less nationally known, but he is never far from a television camera. Khanna is always ready to talk about affordability—just not ready to take responsibility. Families in his home state of California currently pay roughly $1.45 more per gallon of gasoline than the national average. That’s not an accident. It’s the direct result of policies he supports and celebrates, including the Green New Deal.
Khanna proudly backs the very agenda that makes energy more expensive, then pretends to be shocked when families feel the squeeze. You don’t get credit for complaining about a problem you helped create.
The truth is simple: you cannot support the Green New Deal and claim to care about affordability. The two positions are mutually exclusive.
The Green New Deal is not a climate plan—it is a cost-transfer scheme that forces families to absorb massive expenses while politicians virtue-signal from podiums and private jets. From higher gasoline prices, soaring electricity bills, or mandatory purchases families cannot afford, the result is always the same: less freedom, less affordability, and more government control.
So when supporters of the Green New Deal suddenly pretend to care about rising costs, Americans should ask one question: where were you when your policies made everything more expensive?
Show me a politician who says they support affordability while backing the Green New Deal, and I’ll show you a liar.
Larry Behrens is an energy expert and the Communications Director for Power The Future. He has appeared on Fox News, ZeroHedge, and NewsMax speaking in defense of American energy workers. You can follow him on X/Twitter @larrybehrens.
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