Under President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” policies and after 62 years of hard work, the United States achieved energy independence and produced more energy than it consumed.
Under the Trump administration, the United States produced more oil and natural gas than any other country, including Russia and Saudi Arabia – the U.S. even exported oil to Saudi Arabia under the previous administration. President Trump is absolutely right when he says that the oil price would have been less than $40 per barrel under his leadership, and Russia would not have invaded Ukraine, displacing millions of people.
President Biden has methodically reversed the Trump administration’s policies in less than three years. He killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, suspended new drilling leases on federal land/water, rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, depleted our strategic reserves, doubled energy prices, and emboldened Russia to attack Ukraine. But most alarming, the Biden administration’s feckless and “Chamberlainesque” foreign policy has forged new economic and trade alliances detrimental to American national interests - specifically China, Russia, and Iran.
During the previous administration, President Trump saw energy as an avenue to build closer political, security, and trade ties with India, the world’s third-largest oil importer. The United States saw a trade deficit fall by 9% with its premier Indo-Pacific ally. Due to India’s Natural Gas demand, the United States became a primary source for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports – including a $2.5 billion deal with U.S. company Petronet, among other agreements where Trump expanded trade and general relations with India.
Fast forward to a Biden administration that has made BLUNDER AFTER BLUNDER. Biden’s debacle in Afghanistan emboldened Russia to invade Ukraine, leaving India alone after making a significant investment in Afghanistan. The unnecessary war between Russia and Ukraine created a difficult situation for India, whose military depended on continued supply of spare parts from Russia. India’s friendly economic relations with the U.S. have now taken a backseat.
Under Biden, India’s imports from Russia have risen nearly 500% since the war in Ukraine began. Additionally, India has refused to condemn the Russian invasion and/or ally with the United States, but most importantly, it has increased its purchases, becoming a key strategic buyer of Russian oil. Knowing President Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and chief architect of India’s foreign policy Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar the way I do, I can confidently tell you this would have never happened with President Trump at the helm of affairs.
However, this is but one example of how Biden’s policies have elevated American adversaries and threatened American prosperity for years to come, creating global energy shortages that his policies created. This is a self-inflicted wound that a clueless administration is now trying to remedy – manipulating the system by using our national Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat rising gas prices.
Our SPR was established in 1975 with national security in mind. According to the Department of Energy, our reserves constitute the nation's "first line of defense." The Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s continued aggression highlight the importance of American energy independence. With depleted reserves, the United States is left exposed.
If there is a national emergency such as war (which every day seems even more likely), we have SPR, and we can continue its flow from the refineries to our frontlines – rather than allowing it to serve as a mask for Biden’s foolish policies. Rising gas prices are a direct result of this administration’s irresponsible agenda. The Biden administration’s decisions will have long-lasting effects on our energy producers, the jobs the industry supports, and all American families that depend on traditional power sources.
Unfortunately, President Biden has shredded our Constitution – taking countless actions hostile to the United States and our energy interests. Americans are paying the price of the current administration’s incompetent leadership. We are quickly approaching a cataclysmic point of no return as a nation. If we are to truly “Make America Great Again,” immediate change is needed. President Trump rolled out his initiative to save America this week on the campaign. He described this plan as an action to cleanse out the globalists in the Deep State, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the national security industrial complex. This plan is the key to America’s survival moving forward.
Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar is a Chicago-based Indian-American industrialist, retired chairman and CEO of AVG Advanced Technologies and founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition. Follow him on Twitter @iamshalabhkumar.