Despite President Biden's promises less than two months ago that he would take action to lower spiking gas prices — an effect of his own administration's policies — the national average for a gallon of unleaded has set a new record-high price every day since May 10. The price of fuel for the country as a whole has "remained flat or risen every day since April 24," AAA noted Monday morning.
At the start of the new week, the AAA-listed national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $4.596, another new high in the steadily climbing cost of fuel that's been one of several inflation burdens acting as a tax on all Americans, but especially those already struggling to make ends meet. All 50 states now have an average price per gallon of unleaded above $4.
So what happened to President Biden and his administration's grand plan to lower costs and help alleviate some pain on the Americans' wallets?
"I’m going to always be honest with the American people," President Biden said in his March 31 speech on gas prices in which he quickly sought to avoid any responsibility by blaming Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine for the price hike.
"I know how much it hurts," Biden said of rising gas prices. "Our family budgets, your family budgets to fill a tank — none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war," added the president who destroyed American energy independence that previously insulated the U.S. from foreign skirmishes.
Biden continued by unveiling his "plan not only to ease the pain that families are feeling right now, but to end this era of dependence and uncertainty," he claimed. That plan amounted mostly to "authorizing the release of 1 million barrels per day for the next six months — over 180 million barrels — for the Strategic — from the — from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve," Biden explained.
"This is a wartime bridge to increase oil supply until production ramps up later this year — and it is by far the largest release from our national reserve in our history," the president said of his plan. "The most important thing my plan will do right away is save your family money," Biden promised. "My plan is going to help ease that pain today and safeguard again — against it tomorrow." When asked following his remarks about the effectiveness of his plan, Biden said again that the price of gas "will come down" as a result of his administration's action.
The day president Biden announced his plan that he promised would lower fuel costs for Americans, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.225. Now, the price is $4.596 — more than 37 cents more per gallon nationwide.