<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Biden</a> Energy Secretary and former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan">Michigan</a> Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jennifer-granholm">Jennifer Granholm</a> violated the Hatch Act during an October 2021 interview when she used her office to promote Democratic candidates, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
Granholm’s violation was revealed after watchdog group Foundation for Accountability &amp; Civic Trust (FACT) requested that the OSC investigate comments Granholm made to media outlet Marie Clare on October 6, 2021.
During an interview with the outlet, Granholm said it was “good news … voting gave Democrats a bare majority (in Congress),” before attempting to clarify by stating she was “using Democrats as a substitute for the policies that you believe in, the policies that you would like to see happen,” the Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/06/28/jennifer-granholm-hatch-act-warning/7762380001/">reported</a>.
The OSC determined that Granholm’s comments crossed the line as they were “directed at the success of the Democratic Party.” The special counsel, however, decided not to pursue disciplinary action. Instead, the OSC slapped Granholm with a warning, writing that she had not received “significant” training on the Hatch Act before making those comments. Granholm was sworn in as energy secretary in late February 2021, more than seven months prior to making her comments about Democratic candidates.
“Secretary Granholm has been advised that if in the future she engages in prohibited political activity while employed in a position covered by the Hatch Act, we will consider such activity to be a willful and knowing violation of the law,” the OSC letter sent to FACT on June 9 said.
The <a href="https://osc.gov/Services/Pages/HatchAct.aspx#:~:text=%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B,connection%20with%20federally%20funded%20programs.">Hatch Act</a>, passed in 1939, prohibits federal government employees from engaging in “activity directed at the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group – while the employee is on duty, in any federal room or building, while wearing a uniform or official insignia, or using any federally owned or leased vehicle.”
A Department of Energy spokesperson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/special-counsel-biden-energy-secretary-violated-hatch-act">confirmed</a> to Fox News Digital that Granholm had received a warning from the OSC.
“Secretary Granholm takes her ethics obligations seriously,&#8221; the spokesperson said, according to Fox News. &#8220;And, she remains laser focused on delivering President Biden’s equitable clean energy agenda which will help lower energy costs for American families and enhance our nation’s security.&#8221;

Jennifer Granholm

Biden Energy Secretary Violated Federal Law By Using Office To Promote Democrats, Special Counsel Rules

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Violated Hatch Act By Using Office To Promote Democrats, Special Counsel Rules

Biden Administration

Democratic Party

Department of Energy

Hatch Act

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy">Energy</a> Secretary <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/jennifer-granholm">Jennifer Granholm</a> said that “the only way” for the United States to avoid high <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">gas prices</a> is to produce more green energy.
The national average gas price is currently $4.94 per gallon, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">AAA</a>. Earlier this month, gas prices <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-hit-grim-national-average-of-5-per-gallon">surpassed</a> $5.00 per gallon — more than double the $2.39 per gallon witnessed when President Joe Biden took office.
During a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/06/22/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-secretary-of-energy-jennifer-granholm/">press briefing</a> on Wednesday, Granholm affirmed that the “only way out” of “boom-and-bust cycles” in energy prices is “deploying clean energy.”
“The real truth is that as long as our nation remains overly reliant on oil and fossil fuels, we will feel these price shocks again,” Granholm said. “This is not going to be the last time. The next time there’s a war, the next time there’s a pandemic or another hurricane, these extreme weather events we are experiencing — they will impact the access that we have to fossil fuels.”
Indeed, Biden <a href="https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/">favors policies</a> meant to promote green energy, such as emphasizing public transportation and electric vehicles, even as his administration canceled an enormous sale in Alaska of oil and gas lease location. He also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/peter-doocy-asks-for-a-straight-answer-on-keystone-gets-the-runaround-from-jen-psaki">refused</a> to green light the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
“We are looking at some significant challenges in the way of ensuring that American people have access to affordable clean energy,” Granholm continued, “but we’re going to use every lever that we have across the federal government to overcome these challenges.”
Earlier this week, Biden called for a three-month pause to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-calls-for-three-month-pause-to-federal-gas-tax">federal gas tax</a> — which sits at $0.184 per gallon of gasoline and $0.244 per gallon of diesel, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=10&amp;t=10">Energy Information Administration</a> — to contend with “Putin’s Price Hike.&#8221;
“President Biden understands that high gas prices pose a significant challenge for working families,” the White House said in a statement. “Today, he is calling on Congress and states to take additional legislative action to provide direct relief to American consumers who have been hit with Putin’s Price Hike.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has already indicated that he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democratic-senator-not-a-yes-right-now-on-bidens-proposed-gas-tax-holiday">would not approve</a> the federal gas tax suspension, as the policy would not guarantee that the amount would not “penny-for-penny come off of that price.” Other critics argue that the move will only fail to address the administration’s policies that are preventing further production.
&#8220;President Biden&#8217;s proposed temporary gas tax suspension is a band-aid solution to runaway gas prices,” Job Creators Network President Alfredo Ortiz said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire. “To truly show leadership and meaningfully reduce Americans&#8217; pain at the pump, Biden must fundamentally reshape his party&#8217;s environmental policy, strongly backing the production and distribution of traditional energy. Only with vastly increased supply can gas prices significantly fall.”
The Job Creators Network’s most recent <a href="https://monthlypolling.jcnf.org/monthly-monitor/may-2022/">Small Business IQ</a> monthly poll revealed that 76% of business owners would prefer that the United States increase domestic oil and natural gas production. Indeed, the Producer Price Index (PPI) rose <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inflation-for-businesses-continues-at-double-digit-pace">10.8%</a> from May 2021 to May 2022, with over 70% of the month-to-month rise attributable to an increase in prices for final demand energy, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>.

Energy Secretary Lays Out ‘The Only Way’ To Avoid High Gas Prices, And It’s Not Producing More Oil

Granholm Calls For 'Deploying Green Energy' As 'The Only Way' Out Of High Gas Prices

Energy

Gas Prices

CNN anchor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/next-week-harvey-weinstein-cnns-john-berman-blows-up-over-rudy-giulianis-masked-singer-debut/">John Berman</a> challenged Energy Secretary <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/energy-sec-granholm-soaring-gas-prices-are-an-exclamation-point-that-u-s-must-accelerate-green-energy-push/">Jennifer Granholm</a> directly during a Wednesday morning interview, asking how President Joe Biden could expect oil companies to absorb losses in the near term while <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-gulf-oil-gas-permits-got-slow-walked-because-a-federal-agency-is-bad-at-math/">his administration</a> worked to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-pushes-to-end-tax-breaks-for-fossil-fuel-companies-as-americans-already-feeling-pain-at-pump/">put them out of business</a> entirely.
Berman pointed to the fact that Biden and other members of the administration have hardly been shy about their long-term goals of putting <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-continues-fossil-fuel-crackdown-plans-to-suspend-new-oil-drilling-permits-on-federal-land-report-says/">an end to fossil fuels</a> in an effort to balance out the impact of climate change. He then argued that convincing oil companies to absorb profit losses to help bring down inflation and gas prices — which have been bouncing from one record high to the next — could be a hard sell if they believe their entire existence to be at risk once the immediate crisis is averted.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CNN&#39;s John Berman asks Energy Sec. Granholm how President Joe Biden could expect oil companies to absorb losses in the near term while his administration works to put them out of business entirely. <a href="https://t.co/UpJiBR6roJ">pic.twitter.com/UpJiBR6roJ</a>
&mdash; Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1537132109378248711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Berman and Granholm discussed President Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/this-is-being-manipulated-james-carville-says-biden-needs-to-stop-blaming-putin-and-tax-oil-companies-more/">call to oil companies</a>, criticizing them for bringing in record profits while Americans pay more at the pump almost by the day. &#8220;Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions,&#8221; Biden said, promising to use every available tool to help bring costs down.
Berman asked Granholm whether a surtax on oil companies was one of the things Biden was considering, and she replied, &#8220;It is a tool. I’m not saying he would support it. He wants to hear from the companies first.&#8221;
Noting that the administration had been clear about its plan to move the country away from dependence on fossil fuels, Berman pointed out that asking oil companies to invest more in production might hit them the wrong way.
&#8220;Five years from now, 10 years from now, are you telling me you want them drilling for more oil? You want the refineries putting out more gasoline in five years or 10 years?&#8221; Berman asked.
&#8220;What we’re saying is today we need that supply increased,&#8221; Granholm said, but she immediately pivoted to say that the increase was designed to be a temporary fix for an immediate problem — and the administration is still committed to getting away from fossil fuels. &#8220;Of course, in five or 10 years, actually in the immediate, we are also pressing on the accelerator, if you will, to move toward clean energy so that we don’t have to be under the thumb of petro-dictators like Putin.&#8221;
&#8220;But that’s the problem for these companies. These companies are saying, you know, &#8216;You’re asking me to do more now, invest more now, when in fact five or 10 years from now we don’t think that demand will be there, and the administration doesn’t even necessarily want it to be there,'&#8221; Berman explained.

Secretary Granholm testifies Before Senate Energy Committee

CNN Anchor Confronts Energy Secretary On Biden’s Oil Company Bait And Switch

CNN's John Berman Confronts Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm On Biden's Oil Company Bait And Switch

Joe Biden

John Berman

Oil and Gas

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&#8216;s Secretary of Energy lamented on Wednesday that high gas prices will be here throughout the summer, blaming forces beyond her control. Critics, however, say that the Biden administration is to blame for the rising cost of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/energy">energy</a> and that Democrats are driving up the cost of fuel on purpose.
CBS News&#8217; Major Garrett asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm if she had any &#8220;calming or reassuring words&#8221; for Americans concerned about paying for gasoline. The secretary only reassured Americans that the cost of gas won&#8217;t be coming down anytime soon.
&#8220;Yeah, this summer is going to be rough,&#8221; Granholm <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-on-record-high-gas-prices/#x">responded</a> when asked about gas prices. &#8220;I&#8217;ll just be honest with you. The Energy Information [Administration] which is the entity that projects forward the price of gas, the price of oil, has said that by the fall, it should be down to $4.27 a gallon, and by late this year, early next year, it&#8217;ll be down to four maybe under four, maybe high $3 a gallon.&#8221;
&#8220;So there will be some relief on the horizon, but during the summer driving season, it is going to be rough, no doubt about it because we have such a demand and supply mismatch on the global market for oil,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on gas prices: &quot;This summer is going to be rough&quot; <a href="https://t.co/9Ebqh4hbUM">pic.twitter.com/9Ebqh4hbUM</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1534898062811967488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Experts like Katie Tubb, a Heritage Foundation research fellow at the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, told The Daily Wire in an e-mail that the Energy Information Administration&#8217;s (EIA) predictions for this summer were wildly misinformed. Furthermore, progressive states are continuing to see the high cost of gasoline, she argued.
&#8220;The national average for gasoline prices are up over $1.80 per gallon compared to last year, and diesel is up over $2.40 per gallon,&#8221; Tubb explained. &#8220;Americans in some states, like California, are paying far higher prices because of state taxes and climate policies.&#8221;
On Friday, AAA <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">reported</a> that the national average price for a gallon of gasoline cost $4.986. A year ago, it cost $3.073.
&#8220;Looking into the summer, the EIA <a href="https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/summerfuels.php">anticipated</a> in its Summer Fuel Outlook that gasoline would average $3.84 a gallon this summer and that Americans will spend 18% more on gasoline this year than they did last year,&#8221; Tubb added. &#8220;That’s looking to be a pretty sizeable underestimate.&#8221;
Tubbs also explained that high gas prices should not only have been expected under the Biden administration, but that he welcomes them as part of his energy policy.
&#8220;Secretary Granholm had no &#8216;calming or reassuring words&#8217; for American consumers because the administration persists in pursuing policies whose purpose is to severely restrict new supply from coming online in the United States in the long term,&#8221; Tubb noted.
&#8220;This has been the clear and consistent message of President Biden from the campaign trail through to just last month when he stated that high gasoline prices are just part of his &#8216;incredible transition&#8217; away from the fuel that supplies 90% of Americans’ transportation needs,&#8221; she explained.
Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of <a href="https://powerthefuture.com/">Power the Future</a>, also told The Daily Wire that the Biden administration has been actively discouraging investment in the oil and gas industry, which has led to an increase in prices.
&#8220;The [Biden administration] has created a regulatory and financial climate which punishes the fossil fuel industry,&#8221; Turner claimed. &#8220;From the [the Department of Interior], to [the Environmental Protection Agency], to [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission], every agency is sending signals that fossil fuels are not welcome.&#8221;
Turner explained that inflation is simply a byproduct of those policies as they impact the economy.
&#8220;The markets are responding in kind,&#8221; Turner said. &#8220;Sadly, fossil fuels are much more than the Biden admin. is willing to admit, and pushing wind and solar and [electric vehicles] does nothing to alleviate rising inflation, food prices, and consumer food prices.&#8221;
The Biden administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-know-biden-is-to-blame-for-higher-prices-rnc-slams-white-house-for-pinning-inflation-on-putins-price-hike">blamed</a> Russian President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine in February for the increase in prices across the board — dubbed the &#8220;Putin Price Hike&#8221; — but Tubb pointed out that the cost of gas was rising prior to the military conflict.
&#8220;Certainly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also being priced into oil markets, as is higher summertime demand for gasoline during vacation season,&#8221; Tubb told The Daily Wire. &#8220;But to stop there is to totally ignore the policy choices being made by the Biden administration that had already led to a 48% increase in gasoline prices before Russia invaded Ukraine.&#8221;
Indeed, in November 2021, Granholm was asked point blank by a Bloomberg Politics host what her plan would be to increase oil production. She laughed out loud at the idea and said, &#8220;That is hilarious.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Biden&#039;s Energy Secretary on Plans to Increase Oil Production" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/un5N690N3MY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
GOP spokesperson Will O&#8217;Grady also blasted Granholm for her tenure as energy secretary.
&#8220;Democrat Jennifer Granholm, much like Joe Biden, has done absolutely nothing to bring down gas prices,&#8221; O&#8217;Grady said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Granholm, laughing off responsibility, would lead one to question why she still has a job as gas prices continue to rise with no end in sight,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The pain is the point for Joe Biden and Democrats, and Granholm laughing in the face of struggling Americans only proves it.
It seems that the secretary&#8217;s amusement over the cost of gas has stuck with commentators, as Tubb also remarked on Granholm&#8217;s laughing to The Daily Wire.
In reaction to Granholm&#8217;s latest comments, Tubb said, &#8220;At least she didn’t laugh this time or tell people to go buy an electric vehicle,&#8221; in reference to the Biden administration&#8217;s belief that electric vehicles <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-energy-secretary-on-gas-crisis-if-you-drove-an-electric-car-this-would-not-be-affecting-you">can help Americans avoid pain at the pump</a>.

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‘The Pain Is The Point’: Energy Secretary Blasted After Saying Summer Gas Prices Were Going To Be ‘Rough’

Heritage Foundation, GOP React To Joe Biden's Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's Prediction About 'Rough' Summer For Gas Prices

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

On Wednesday, a gallon of gasoline cost drivers more than $5.00 in 16 states plus Washington, D.C., but President Joe Biden&#8217;s Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm might not have seen that coming.
Granholm was too busy bashing conservative state legislatures, bragging about the number of Department of Energy (DOE) political appointees who identify as LGBTQ+, reading poetry, and hoisting the gay pride flag at a ceremony earlier this week.
On Monday, Granholm joined a handful of other DOE appointees to celebrate Pride Month and emphasize Biden&#8217;s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
&#8220;Let&#8217;s be clear, the most important people in this organization are right here,&#8221; Granholm said regarding her colleagues standing at the microphone with her.
&#8220;The most important people&#8221; included the deputy director for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the director of Energy Pride (DOE&#8217;s employee resource group or LGBTQ+ employees and allies), the special assistant to the president for climate and science personnel, a nuclear engineer, and a staffer from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser&#8217;s office.
Granholm continued while quoting American poet Walt Whitman to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride.
&#8220;He writes, &#8216;I celebrate myself and sing myself. And what I assume, you shall assume. For every atom belonging to me, as good, belongs to you,'&#8221; Granholm said solemnly. &#8220;This flag that we will raise is a statement about our commitment to all who see themselves reflected in it; Our commitment to the LGBTQ+ communities&#8217; safety — and safety is big right now — to celebrate their presence with us, for all of you who see yourself in that flag, and all who are working and may not be able to join us, we want you to feel its protection because that&#8217;s who we want to reflect. Not just protection but also of celebration of making sure that we are an agency that is inclusive.&#8221;
The energy secretary added that Americans need &#8220;all hands on deck&#8221; not for the sake of lowering energy prices, but for advancing progressive social ideas at the state and federal levels.
&#8220;We need all talent in order to thrive as an agency, but also as a planet,&#8221; the former Michigan governor said. &#8220;Unfortunately, as we have seen the right to privacy, and the right to safety is under attack. All you have to do is look at social media. All you have to do is see what&#8217;s happening in the halls of some state legislatures, where people, children are not allowed to be who they are, young adults are not allowed to be who they are, people feeling threatened by gun violence because of who they are or who they love.&#8221;
Several states, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-signs-parental-notification-bill-shrugs-off-dont-say-gay-uproar">such as Florida</a>, have passed laws prohibiting radical gender ideology instruction from certain grades. Other states, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alabama-law-criminalizing-transgender-health-care-for-minors-goes-into-effect">like Alabama,</a> have banned sex-change procedures for minors.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a human rights advocate, Ginetta Sagan said it best — and it&#8217;s a reflection of what has been said in the civil rights community, whose shoulders we stand on — which is, &#8216;Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor,'&#8221; Granholm added before promising that &#8220;this administration will not be silent in the face of attacks on our fellow Americans.&#8221;
Granholm then rattled off a series of Biden initiatives that have nothing to do with energy, let alone high gas prices.
&#8220;And it&#8217;s why as one of his first acts in off office, President Biden, you will recall, signed an executive order committing this entire administration to equity, to civil rights, to inclusion. And that value has permeated actions throughout this administration — whether it&#8217;s reversing the ban on transgender participation in the military or fighting to make sure that in schools there is no sexual or gender discrimination because supporting the LGBTQ+ community is not just about acceptance, it&#8217;s not just about tolerance, it&#8217;s about action,&#8221; Granholm claimed. &#8220;And it&#8217;s about saying to all that we respect you and we celebrate you and we will fight for you.&#8221;
Granholm concluded her remarks by noting that her team would &#8220;make sure&#8221; to reflect the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion &#8220;in everything we do — personnel-wise, policy-wise. At all levels of this administration inside of DOE, we want to make sure that people can be their full selves at work and be celebrated for it,&#8221; while remarking how great it is that 20% of DOE political appointees are LGBTQ+ individuals.
When she began her remarks Monday morning,<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/06/1103318977/states-highest-gas-prices"> just 10 states had gas</a> that cost an average of $5 per gallon. As of press time, six more states and D.C. were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WTqVTHG7Hc">added</a> to that list.
Granholm&#8217;s remarks can be seen here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Raising the Progress Pride Flag at the U.S. Department of Energy" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8cMdNAIYpAo?start=314&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

As Gas Prices Break Records, Energy Secretary Reads Poetry And Blasts Conservative State Legislatures In Pride Flag Ceremony

President Joe Biden's Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Reads Poetry While Gas Prices Surge

LGBTQ

Pride

Pride Flag

Pride Month

As Americans brace for high Memorial Day temperatures, they will also have to contend with high prices at the pump.
Gas prices hit $4.62 per gallon on Monday — marking the highest Memorial Day gas prices in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/27/energy/gas-prices-memorial-day/index.html">more than a decade</a>, as reported by <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">AAA</a>. Americans are thus paying nearly 11% more than the $4.18 prices that prevailed a month ago — as well as 53% higher than the $3.03 prices from Memorial Day last year, according to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&amp;s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&amp;f=w">U.S. Energy Information Administration</a>.
“Against a backdrop of gas prices that have continued to set new records ahead of Memorial Day, Americans have been resilient in their desire to hit the road, but we’re certainly seeing increased hesitancy due to rising prices at the pump,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/19/gas-prices-just-hit-a-new-record-high-here-are-a-few-ways-to-save.html">CNBC</a>.
Gas prices for Memorial Day 2022 are even more severe than those seen in recent memory. Americans were paying $1.96 on Memorial Day 2020 when driving activity was still depressed due to COVID-19 lockdowns — meaning that Americans are paying 136% more for gas than they were two years ago. Even before the lockdowns, gas prices were roughly $2.85 on Memorial Day 2019 — meaning that today’s prices are 62% higher than equivalent pre-pandemic levels.
A <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gas-prices-66-americans-are-making-significant-habit-changes-says-survey-180821426.html">poll from Yahoo</a> released earlier this month showed that 66% of American drivers would make “significant changes to their driving patterns” if the national average cost of gasoline lies between $4.12 and $4.35 per gallon.
“I started riding my motorcycle as my main mode of transportation, instead of just recreationally,” Alexis Hornickel of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-have-a-very-limited-budget-americans-forced-to-drive-less-as-gas-prices-soar">The Daily Wire</a> last week. “I’m a student, so I have a very limited budget. My gas expenses just weren’t justifiable anymore.”
The poll likewise showed that 62% of Americans are willing to limit their vehicle usage to necessities — such as doctor visits and grocery shopping — if the price of gasoline hits $4.35 per gallon. While 41% plan to only fill their gas tanks with what is affordable, 35% are increasing their reliance on public transportation and 29% are canceling summer road trips.
The Biden administration — which has nixed expansions to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/peter-doocy-asks-for-a-straight-answer-on-keystone-gets-the-runaround-from-jen-psaki">Keystone XL Pipeline</a> and dragged its feet on issuing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unacceptable-cruz-gop-senators-demand-end-to-oil-and-gas-lease-permit-delays">oil and gas permits</a> — claims that higher fuel costs may help the United States transition more quickly to renewable energy.
When asked about “enormously high gas prices” at a press conference last week, President Joe Biden said: “When it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over.”
Biden also pointed to his decisions to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-raid-on-critical-strategic-petroleum-reserve-leaves-lowest-level-in-35-years">release millions of barrels</a> from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as successful in stopping gas prices from “getting even worse.”
“The price of gas at the pump is something that I told you — you heard me say before — it would be a matter of great discussion at my kitchen table when I was a kid growing up. It’s affecting a lot of families,” Biden said.
Likewise, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm contended last week that soaring gas prices are an “exclamation point” to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-sec-granholm-soaring-gas-prices-are-an-exclamation-point-that-u-s-must-accelerate-green-energy-push">transition away from fossil fuels</a>.
“No one has ever weaponized access to the sun,” Granholm said, referencing Russia’s move to cancel energy exports or demand that shipments be paid in Russian rubles. “No one has ever weaponized access to wind. The way we are energy secure is to build homegrown clean energy, and other countries are looking to that as well.”

Gasoline

Here’s How Much Gas Prices Have Risen Since Last Memorial Day

Prices At The Pump Are More Than 50% Higher Since Last Memorial Day

Inflation

Memorial Day

Russia

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that soaring gas prices are a major reason why the U.S. economy must transition away from fossil fuels and toward green energy.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Golden, Colorado, announcing a $38 million investment by the Department of Energy to &#8220;decarbonize&#8221; its National Laboratories, Granholm said that continuing concern about rising prices at the pump was an &#8220;exclamation point&#8221; on the need to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/3501901-granholm-gas-price-struggle-an-exclamation-point-for-need-to-accelerate-clean-energy/">The Hill</a> reported.
During the exchange with reporters, Granholm also referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its effects on the global oil supply as a reason to push for more green energy. “No one has ever weaponized access to the sun,” Granholm said, referencing Russia&#8217;s move to cancel energy exports or demand shipments to be paid in Russian rubles. “No one has ever weaponized access to wind. The way we are energy secure is to build homegrown clean energy, and other countries are looking to that as well.”
Granholm repeated the rhetorical line that gas prices stem from the price of oil around the world, saying that every country in the world is also dealing with high prices and looking for ways to increase supply. “Everybody realizes that gasoline is derived from oil, and oil is traded on a global market, and so every country in the world is facing this,” she said. “Every country is looking for ways to increase supply in the moment — in supply of oil so that we can stabilize.&#8221; Granholm added that the U.S. can increase supply by tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and urging oil companies to increase their output, moves the Biden administration has already taken.
Granholm&#8217;s comments Wednesday come after she denied that the Biden administration is intentionally driving up gas prices to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-cotton-high-gas-prices-not-some-accident-biden-pushing-americans-to-adopt-green-tech">pressure Americans</a> to transition to alternative energy. &#8220;That is absolutely false,&#8221; Granholm <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1529454990405693441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1529454990405693441%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fdougp-3137%2F2022%2F05%2F25%2Fenergy-secretary-granholm-trips-all-over-biden-while-denying-this-admin-wants-high-gas-prices%2F">said Tuesday</a>, again giving the excuse that oil prices are traded on a global market. Granholm also claimed that the Biden administration understands that the nation is not ready to transition yet, and is working to increase supply &#8220;today, to bring prices down, [and] to stabilize supply and demand.&#8221;
Granholm&#8217;s comments come just days after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-sounds-off-on-whether-he-thinks-another-recession-is-inevitable">President Joe Biden </a>raised eyebrows when he described the pain American consumers are feeling at the pump as an &#8220;incredible transition&#8221; that the country will come out stronger for having gone through. “[When] it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over,&#8221; Biden said at a press conference Monday.
“The price of gas at the pump is something that I told you — you heard me say before — it would be a matter of great discussion at my kitchen table when I was a kid growing up. It’s affecting a lot of families,” Biden continued. “But we have released over two hundred and, I think, fifty-seven thousand — million barrels of oil, I should say. Us and the rest of the world we convinced to get involved. It’s helped, but it’s not been enough.” But instead of seeking to increase domestic energy production, Biden said he would persuade OPEC countries to increase their output to address high prices.

Energy Sec Granholm: Soaring Gas Prices Are An ‘Exclamation Point’ That U.S. Must Accelerate Green Energy Push

Energy Sec Granholm: Soaring Gas Prices Are An 'Exclamation Point' That U.S. Must Accelerate Green Energy Push

Senate Republicans traded barbs with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at a meeting of the Senate Energy Committee.
At a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yXmLCC8Q7U&amp;t=2023s">Committee hearing</a> Thursday, Granholm sparred with Republican Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, and Utah Senator Mike Lee on the Biden administration&#8217;s moves against oil and natural gas production.
Granholm was first asked by Barrasso about comments made by White House Climate adviser Gina McCarthy that Biden was &#8220;<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/04/20/w-h-climate-adviser-mccarthy-biden-committed-to-opposing-more-drilling-on-public-lands-were-making-irreversible-change-to-green/">absolutely committed</a> to not moving forward with additional drilling on public lands.&#8221; Granholm responded by saying the Interior Department had opened up <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/biden-administration-resume-leasing-oil-gas-drilling-federal-lands-rcna24646">some land</a> to new drilling leases.
&#8220;Does the president &#8230; confirm what the climate advisor has said or does he contradict what the climate advisor has said?&#8221; Barrasso then asked. Granholm responded that Biden has called for more domestic oil supply, and authorized more federal oil and gas leases to meet that supply.
&#8220;Well then perhaps the climate adviser then shouldn&#8217;t contradict the president after a statement that he makes,&#8221; Barrasso replied.
Granholm then claimed that the Biden administration has not held back domestic energy production, citing a survey by the <a href="https://www.dallasfed.org/research/surveys/des/2022/2201.aspx#tab-questions">Dallas Federal Reserve</a> in which just 6% of oil and gas industry CEOs said that government regulations are restraining growth. Barrasso lambasted that claim at the end of his line of questioning. &#8220;In spite of what we&#8217;ve just heard from the Secretary, this administration has been actively discouraging and browbeating lending institutions to not loan money for this sort of thing,&#8221; Barrasso noted, &#8220;so it&#8217;s very hard to produce energy when this administration has continued to put their finger down against it.&#8221;
Later, Granholm had a tense exchange with Marshall. &#8220;The last time you filled your car up with gasoline, do you remember what the price was?&#8221; he asked.
&#8220;I drive an electric vehicle,&#8221; Granholm said curtly. Some in the room audibly laughed.
&#8220;Do you know what the price of gasoline is in Washington, D.C.?&#8221; Marshall continued.
&#8220;I know that on average, the price for gas, of a gallon of gas across the country is $4.25,&#8221; Granholm replied. Marshall said that the average price in D.C. is about $5 per gallon.
&#8220;Have your policies resulted in decreasing supply of oil and gas?&#8221; Marshall asked later in the exchange.
&#8220;No, sir,&#8221; Granholm replied, instead blaming the increase in gas prices on the Biden administration&#8217;s oil <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-announces-ban-on-russian-oil-imports-in-bid-to-hold-putin-accountable">embargo</a>. &#8220;Since oil is traded on a global market, that&#8217;s why the price has gone up,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;So you do not believe any of your policies have impacted the supply of oil and gas in this country?&#8221; Marshall asked again.
Granholm again said no, and said energy industry CEOs agreed with her, citing the same Fed survey.
Marshall took issue with Granholm&#8217;s denial, and like Barrasso, pointed out: &#8220;Folks are afraid to invest because of your policies, your overaggressive policies, and I just hope that your economists would stop and take responsibility that the decreased supply in this country is what has led to the increased price, and your policies are responsible for that &#8230; and fear of investing.&#8221;
Finally, Granholm had a heated exchange with Senator Mike Lee.
&#8220;We have to provide American energy with a silver buckshot approach, not a silver bullet approach,&#8221; Granholm said in response to a question from Lee about subsidies for &#8220;intermittent&#8221; energy sources like wind. &#8220;We have to be investing in the production of clean energy, we have to be investing in the technology to get us to those energy sources, [including] the de-carbonization of the existing fossil fuel industry.&#8221;
&#8220;Okay, de-carbonization of the existing fossil fuel industry is not your mission,&#8221; Lee cut in. &#8220;Your mission is to provide an affordable and adequate and reliable source of energy at the lowest reasonable cost. If you&#8217;re not determined to advance that mission, and in fact if you&#8217;re undertaking other efforts &#8230; then we have a problem. If the Department doesn&#8217;t wanna pursue the statutory mandate for which it was created, perhaps the department should not exist.&#8221;

‘Perhaps The Department Should Not Exist’: Senate Republicans Trade Barbs With Energy Sec Granholm

Senate Republicans Trade Barbs With Energy Secretary Granholm

U.S. Senate

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm broke the STOCK Act — a law that requires top federal officials to disclose their asset transactions within a 45-day window — nine times last year.
<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/20/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-violated-stock-disclosure-law-9-times.html">CNBC</a> reported:
<blockquote>The dates of Granholm’s stock sales ranged from April to late October, according to federal disclosure documents first reported by Business Insider. But Granholm did not disclose any of them until mid-December, which was in some cases a full 6 months after the deadline to report the sale had passed…
The transactions included shares of the real estate website Redfin worth between $16,000 &#8211; $75,000, according to Granholm’s disclosures. 
She also sold shares in the ride hailing company Uber worth up to $50,000, and the financial services giant Invesco, also worth up to $50,000.</blockquote>
The report occurs as Congress debates new restrictions on stock trading — especially for shares in individual companies, as opposed to index funds that track market movements as a whole.
At the end of last year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — whose husband, Paul, frequently trades large volumes of assets — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-on-why-congress-should-be-allowed-to-trade-stock-after-dozens-broke-law-we-should-be-able-to">avoided</a> questions as to why lawmakers should be allowed to trade stocks in individual companies given lawmakers’ high degree of restricted knowledge relevant to certain industries. “Because this is a free market and people — we are a free market economy,” Pelosi said during a news conference. “They should be able to participate in that.”
On Thursday, however, Pelosi appeared to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-has-great-confidence-in-fellow-lawmakers-but-is-now-open-to-more-stock-trading-restrictions">change</a> her tune. She said that she has “great confidence in the integrity of my members” — yet will remain open to new regulations.
“I do come down always in favor of trusting our members,” she explained. “If the impression that is given by some that somebody is doing insider trading, that’s a Justice Department issue … and that has no place in any of this.”
“But to give a blanket attitude of ‘we can’t do this and we can’t do that,’ because we can’t be trusted, I just don’t buy into that,” she continued. “But if members want to do that, I’m okay with that.”
President Biden appears to be dodging the debate altogether. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-steers-clear-of-insider-trading-debate-will-let-members-of-leadership-in-congress-figure-it-out-says-psaki">said</a> that President Joe Biden will allow members of Congress to determine their own rules for stock trading.
“The president didn’t trade individual stocks when he was a senator, that is how we approached things,” Psaki remarked. “He also believes that everyone should be held to the highest standard, but he’ll let the leadership in Congress … determine what the rule should be.”
The most recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mccarthy-considering-an-outright-ban-on-lawmakers-being-able-to-trade-stocks-if-gop-wins-house">considerations</a> come from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who reportedly wants to start a potential “outright ban,” on lawmakers holding or trading stocks if Republicans win the majority in this year’s midterm elections.
“McCarthy told us his planning on this front is in its early stages, and he hasn’t yet decided on what kind of limitations there may be on stock trades or holdings,” Punchbowl News reported. “One idea would be to force lawmakers to hold only professionally managed mutual funds. Another proposal the GOP leadership is considering would bar lawmakers from holding stocks in companies or industries their committees oversee.”

Horizontal color photo of White House in Washington DC on a clear summer evening

Biden Administration Official Broke Stock Trading Law Nine Times Last Year

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was hit with backlash this week when she admitted she did not know how many barrels of oil the U.S. consumes per day.
“I don’t have that number in front of me,” Granholm told a reporter during a White House press briefing on Tuesday.
The question came in response to President Joe Biden tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an attempt to help bring down soaring gas prices.
WATCH:
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Reporter: &quot;How many barrels of oil does the U.S. consume per day?&quot;
Biden&#39;s energy secretary: &quot;I don&#39;t have that number in front of me&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Z0Zv7tHS2v">pic.twitter.com/Z0Zv7tHS2v</a>
&mdash; The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1463244498637664266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;File this one under &#8216;not qualified to be Energy Secretary,'&#8221; Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) reacted to the jarring clip.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
File this one under “not qualified to be Energy Secretary.” <a href="https://t.co/BuoGKxer7F">https://t.co/BuoGKxer7F</a>
&mdash; Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1463255956121346061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Notably, the 50 million barrels released by Biden is not enough to cover even three days of U.S. supply, The Federalist <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-doesnt-know-how-much-energy-americans-need-2655785073.html">highlighted</a>:
<blockquote>The president’s decision to tap the oil reserves maintained for emergencies such as a hurricane hampering Gulf Coast refineries underscores the administration’s desperation to bring down seven-year high gas prices. Soaring fuel costs <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2021/11/11/joe-biden-could-bring-down-gas-prices-tomorrow-hes-choosing-not-to/">engineered</a> by the White House war on fossil fuels and compounded by inflation have helped tank the president’s approval ratings as Americans <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/20/business/high-gas-prices.html">pinch pennies</a> going into the holidays. Biden’s approval rating hovers at just more than 41 percent in the <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president-biden-job-approval-7320.html">RealClear aggregate</a>.</blockquote>
In the past, presidents have used the reserves at times of emergency, like following Hurricane Katrina and during the first Gulf War, The Federalist emphasized: &#8220;Biden’s use of reserves, however, comes at no such emergency. Instead, Biden is using the reserves as a political tool to alleviate the pain of his own making, where the price of oil has eclipsed $80 per barrel for the first time in nearly a decade. Prices, however, <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/2516/wti-crude-oil-prices-10-year-daily-chart">often exceeded</a> $80 per barrel when Biden was vice president under President Obama.&#8221;
Earlier this month, Secretary Granholm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-energy-sec-laughs-then-says-u-s-at-mercy-of-opec-crenshaw-fires-our-us-energy-secretary-is-a-joke-and-a-liar">raised eyebrows</a> when she laughed hysterically over a question probing about the administration&#8217;s plan to increase oil production in America. The secretary insisted the oil market was controlled by OPEC and completely out of her hands.
Crenshaw called Granholm &#8220;a joke&#8221; and &#8220;a liar&#8221; in response. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-energy-sec-laughs-then-says-u-s-at-mercy-of-opec-crenshaw-fires-our-us-energy-secretary-is-a-joke-and-a-liar">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>Granholm was prompted by an interviewer for Bloomberg, who asked, “In Sturgis, Michigan, (gas) is $2.89 a gallon. I guess that’s better than in California. What is the Granholm plan to increase oil production in America?”
Granholm burst into uncontrollable laughter, then responded patronizingly, “Would that I had the magic wand on this. As you know, of course, oil is a global market. It is controlled by a cartel. That cartel is called OPEC. And they made a decision yesterday that they were not going to increase beyond what they were already planning.”
Crenshaw tweeted, “Our US Energy Secretary is a joke. And a liar. … No, prices are not controlled by OPEC. They have influence, but then again SO DO WE. Our vast increase in production over the past decade drove prices down. All we have to do is get the government boot off the neck of US producers, and let them do their job.”
He added, “But instead, this incompetent administration has done the opposite. They’re (sic) cancelled land leases and cancelled pipelines. They’re threatening the energy sector with more regs and taxes, and you wonder why no one wants to invest in more production?”</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-energy-secretary-people-going-to-pay-more-to-heat-homes-hope-gas-doesnt-hit-4-per-gallon">Biden Energy Secretary: People ‘Going To’ Pay More To Heat Homes, ‘Hope’ Gas Doesn’t Hit $4 Per Gallon</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-energy-sec-laughs-then-says-u-s-at-mercy-of-opec-crenshaw-fires-our-us-energy-secretary-is-a-joke-and-a-liar">Biden’s Energy Sec Laughs, Then Says U.S. At Mercy Of OPEC. Crenshaw Fires: ‘Our US Energy Secretary Is A Joke. And A Liar.’</a>

Granholm Crenshaw

‘File’ Under ‘Not Qualified To Be Energy Secretary’: Biden Official Stumped On Basic Question; Crenshaw Slams

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Republicans, slammed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during an interview on Sunday after she burst out laughing last week when she was asked about increasing oil production in the U.S. to alleviate rising gas prices.
&#8220;That is hilarious,&#8221; Granholm said last week as she laughed in response to a question about what her plan was to increase oil production in the U.S. &#8220;As you know, of course, oil is a global market. It is controlled by a cartel. That cartel is called OPEC, and they made a decision yesterday that they were not going to increase beyond what they were already planning.&#8221;
Barrasso initially responded to Granholm&#8217;s controversial response by calling it &#8220;disgraceful,&#8221; adding, &#8220;there’s nothing funny about spiking gas prices hurting American families.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
There’s nothing funny about spiking gas prices hurting American families. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecGranholm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecGranholm</a> could end their illegal ban of federal oil and gas production today. Instead, they’re begging OPEC and Russia for more oil. Disgraceful. <a href="https://t.co/6aYk4VRqd0">pic.twitter.com/6aYk4VRqd0</a>
&mdash; Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnBarrasso/status/1456631498912718851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Barrasso followed up on that tweet with remarks he made during an interview on Sunday with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s no laughing matter when people are suffering,&#8221; Barrasso said. &#8220;And some have to decide whether this winter they&#8217;re going to be able to eat or heat their homes with natural gas prices at a seven year high, gas at the pump at a seven year high.&#8221;
WATCH:
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It was a rejection election. Democrats are sleepwalking like zombies on the road to socialism. We need to drive a stake through the heart of this $4 T tax &amp; spending bill because the Democrats seem to be addicted to spending &amp; to taxing. <a href="https://t.co/OvDFqCDSk6">pic.twitter.com/OvDFqCDSk6</a>
&mdash; Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnBarrasso/status/1457382338300624901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS HOST: Joining me right now to tell us exactly what is in that infrastructure bill and the fate of the Biden economic agenda is Wyoming senator, a member of GOP Senate leadership, John Barrasso. Senator, it&#8217;s great to have you this morning. Thanks so much for being here. 
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): Thank you, Maria. 
BARTIROMO: Assess what we&#8217;re seeing right now, Senator. We just saw this red wave; it doesn&#8217;t feel like your colleagues on the Left are believing it. They&#8217;re still pushing through their larger spending plan. And your colleagues even in the GOP pass that infrastructure plan. Assess the situation for us.
BARRASSO: Well, first, thanks, Maria. It was a rejection election. Voters overwhelmingly across the country rejected these radical policies of the Democrats, which have caused inflation, rising prices, open borders, and now they want to raise taxes even higher. You would think this would be a wake up call for the Democrats, but they&#8217;re still sleepwalking like zombies on this road to socialism. And they&#8217;ve bloated up their other bill, the $4 trillion reckless tax and spending bill, almost thumbing their noses at the voters who said stop, and the Democrats know this is going to make taxes go up. It&#8217;s going to make the debt go up. It&#8217;s going to make prices go up, and Maria, people across the country are fed up.
BARTIROMO: Yeah, but do your Republican colleagues get that, Senator? You voted no on the infrastructure package, but 13 of your colleagues voted yes. And that pretty much opens the door for this larger social spending plan. I&#8217;m going to put on the screen your colleagues who voted yes for this infrastructure plan. Why did you vote no?
BARRASSO: Well, I voted no for a couple of reasons. One is I believe it&#8217;s going to add hundreds of billions of dollars to the debt and deficit. And there were energy parts of that bill that I think are going to make energy more expensive, and at the same time, make our grid less reliable. Now, the concern is that they have for months linked these two bills together. That&#8217;s been very clear, so I couldn&#8217;t support it. What we need to do now is drive a stake through the heart of this $4 trillion tax and spending bill, and to do that we&#8217;re going to need help with Joe Manchin and from Sinema because the Democrats just seem to be addicted to spending and taxing.
BARTIROMO: Yeah, I want to get into that Build Back Better plan in a moment because we have a list of what&#8217;s in it. But first, let&#8217;s stay on energy for a moment, because it is just beyond me why your colleagues would vote yes on infrastructure and enable this larger spending package to move forward. We know that there was not a penny in there for the border wall. The administration is mocking the United States by making believe there is not a crisis at the border. And now talking about paying $450,000 per migrant. Just the way Jennifer Granholm mocked the United States by laughing over energy prices. That is our energy secretary, and she joined Bloomberg Television this week. Let&#8217;s take a look at that clip right here and get your reaction since you are so concerned about energy. Watch this.
[START VIDEO]
BLOOMBERG TV HOST: In Sturgis Michigan, it is $2.89 a gallon. I guess that&#8217;s better than in California. What is the Granholm plan to increase oil production in America? 
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, ENERGY SECRETARY: Ha. Ha. Ha. That is hilarious.
[END VIDEO]
BARRASSO: It&#8217;s no laughing&#8211;
BARTIROMO: Senator, do you think that&#8217;s hilarious?
BARRASSO: No, it&#8217;s no laughing matter when people are suffering. And some have to decide whether this winter they&#8217;re going to be able to eat or heat their homes with natural gas prices at a seven year high, gas at the pump at a seven year high. And then Joe Biden and large entourage of Democrats from the House and the Senate and his cabinet all jetting off to Europe to a climate conference. And for what purpose? What did he do there? He pledged allegiance to the flag of the United Nations instead of to the flag of the United States. He basically apologized for America, he begged OPEC and Putin to create more energy, to make more energy. And he promised to raise energy prices in America. We know why prices are high. Biden, day number one, killed the Keystone XL Pipeline. He&#8217;s blocked oil and gas exploration leasing opportunities in the Rocky Mountain West, big impact in my home state of Wyoming, shut down Alaska energy to the point that today we&#8217;re using more oil from Russia than we are from Alaska. And these guys are climate hypocrites. I mean, their carbon footprint for going to this conference was so much larger than Vladimir Putin or President Xi&#8217;s of China because they stayed home. The American people deserve accountability of how much taxpayer dollars we as taxpayers paid for this effort of all of these liberal Democrats to head to Europe on the taxpayer dime. 
BARTIROMO: Well, you were demanding that accountability last week. I saw your tweets; you wanted to know how much this trip cost. We saw the 85-vehicle motorcade that Biden had driving through Italy before he got to Glasgow. Did you ever get your answer in terms of how much it cost?
BARRASSO: Not yet. We know this conference is the most expensive climate conference in history. And we&#8217;re going to continue to bang on this administration and to get and demand answers.
BARTIROMO: So senator, there is a real disregard for taxpayer money in this administration. We see that over and over again with the $85 billion in weapons left on the ground in Afghanistan, the $100 million in materials to build a wall left in Texas, and now the flight, secretly flying migrants to various secret airports, private airports across the country, and now this plan to pay $450,000 per migrant. What are you going to do about it? Now they want to also spend all of this money and raise our taxes to pay for all of their wishes.
BARRASSO: Well, you&#8217;re absolutely right, because they bloated up their tax and spending spree now to $4 trillion. Maria, I have a seven page summary, single space, small type of slush fund after slush fund, no respect, as you point out for taxpayer dollars. So what are they going to do? Well, they&#8217;re going to supersize the IRS, an army of IRS agents to audit more people. The other day on the air, you talked about how people try to save money in the nest egg. This Biden administration, the Democrats, they want the eggs out of your nest, they have five different programs in here to give money to illegal immigrants, they, you can go page by page, item and item, wasteful spending and regulations that are going to drive up the cost of energy for American families through the winter and into next year. People are facing more inflation. I think we&#8217;re going to face the most expensive Christmas ever. And that&#8217;s if you can even get the gifts to arrive as a result of the gross mismanagement by this administration. No respect for taxpayers&#8217; money.
BARTIROMO: Absolutely. So we&#8217;re looking at some of their programs in this Build Back Better plan. And we know that it&#8217;s half a trillion dollars in climate initiatives and money for illegal migrants and felons eligible for $45,000 a year in government programs here. You&#8217;re saying that since she got a vote on the infrastructure package, she&#8217;s been fattening up the Build Back Better plan, the spending plan? I know that they want to get something done after Veterans Day. Is that right? And tell me how the larger social spending plan has changed in the last week?
BARRASSO: Well, they actually changed it right after this rejection election that occurred Tuesday; they, they basically are in your face saying, we know this is it, Nancy Pelosi is going to be done as speaker, the squad has come out and said, &#8216;We know we&#8217;re gonna lose the majority in 2022. We don&#8217;t care. We&#8217;re going to go as far as we can to the radical Left until you get a chance in the election of 2022 to throw us out.&#8217; These are the sorts of things that they&#8217;re proposing and moving forward. So they started bloating this up from when they were at $1.75 [trillion], now they&#8217;re over $4 trillion, that happened Tuesday, and they want to come back before Thanksgiving, and try to cram this through, at least through the House. It will then have to come to the Senate, and we&#8217;re going to do everything we can to stop it dead in its tracks.
BARTIROMO: Senator, do you think Joe Manchin will go along with it? They need all 50 Democrats. Will Joe Manchin do it? Will he agree to this?
BARRASSO: I believe he will not. I believe Senator Sinema will not as well. They&#8217;re going to have a huge impact on how this ultimately turns out. I&#8217;m going to do everything I can do to stop it, period.
BARTIROMO: All right. We will leave it there. Senator, it&#8217;s great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for all of that and for your leadership. Senator John Barrasso.</blockquote>

Senators Meet For Policy Luncheons On Capitol Hill

Senator Barrasso Slams Biden’s Energy Secretary For Laughing Over Gas Prices: ‘People Are Suffering’

OPEC

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNN on Sunday that Americans will pay more to heat their homes this winter as energy prices continue to skyrocket and that the administration hopes that gas prices do not hit $4 per gallon.
&#8220;So, according to AAA, the national average of gas prices is now $3.42 a gallon. Bank of America is predicting crude oil prices could soar another 50 percent by next June,&#8221; CNN host Dana Bash said. &#8220;Could the average gas price in America be $4 a gallon in the United States soon?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, we certainly hope not,&#8221; Granholm responded. &#8220;As I say, the Energy Information Agency is going to put out their forecast this week.&#8221;
&#8220;The president is all over this,&#8221; she claimed.
&#8220;Should Americans in what will likely be a cold winter &#8212; most of them are &#8212; expect to pay higher prices for heating their homes?&#8221; Bash later asked.
&#8220;Yeah, this is going to happen,&#8221; Granholm responded. &#8220;It will be &#8212; it will be more expensive this year than last year. We are in a slightly beneficial position, certainly relative to Europe, because their choke hold of natural gas is very significant.&#8221;
WATCH:
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TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED VIA CNN:
<blockquote>DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Hello. I&#8217;m Dana Bash in Washington, where the state of our union is feeling some whiplash.
After a bruising Election Day for Democrats, President Biden spent the weekend celebrating a significant win, bipartisan passage of his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which passed the House overnight Friday with the support of 13 Republicans and gives billions of dollars to the nation&#8217;s bridges and roads, as well as broadband, water and energy systems.
Saturday, the president heralded a victory, calling it a monumental step forward as a nation. The president is still pushing Democrats on the Hill to pass the other half of his domestic agenda, the $1.75 trillion social spending bill and climate bill.
The administration had hoped to pass this legislation together, but the timeline for the larger bill slipped last week after moderates in the House demanded more information on the bill&#8217;s cost.
Joining me now, someone who was deeply involved in the push for the infrastructure bill, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Thank you so much for joining me.
JENNIFER GRANHOLM, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: You bet.
BASH: Nice to see you in person.
GRANHOLM: Yes, likewise.
BASH: It&#8217;s a very large piece of legislation, almost law.
I want to narrow in on a couple specific parts of it. The president said yesterday that the bill will &#8212; quote &#8212; &#8220;reduce supply chains&#8217; bottlenecks now and for decades to come&#8221; and &#8212; quote &#8212; &#8220;ease inflationary pressure.&#8221;
When can American families expect to feel that relief?
GRANHOLM: Yes, it&#8217;s &#8212; this is a really great question, because, obviously, this &#8212; the president is focused really in the short term and in the long term.
In the short term, these inflationary pressures, the price of fuel, for example, is high at the top of his list. And so the question is as, we move out of COVID, we know that that has been creating these supply chain bottlenecks. And that includes in the fuel sector as well.
And so the Energy Information Agency, which is in the Department of Energy, has its forecast for the winter coming up in two days. And we will be looking to see what the prices are looking like there.
But know that the &#8212; all of the economists that the president has been relying on suggest that there is a transitory nature &#8212; nature to the inflation problem as we move through the pandemic. And we want to make sure that we get everybody vaccinated, so that we can unclog the bottlenecks that we have been seeing.
BASH: And this bill, almost law, will help?
GRANHOLM: The bottlenecks in supply chains, for example, for batteries, for electric vehicles, there is $5 billion that has been put into making sure that we&#8217;re actually building the electric vehicles and the guts to those vehicles. That&#8217;s in the infrastructure bill. Putting people to work in good- paying jobs will certainly help. So, there&#8217;s &#8212; with the two pieces, it&#8217;s going to be two million jobs per year that are created, good- paying jobs. And investing in our nation for the future is critical.
BASH: And there&#8217;s a lot on climate and on electric vehicle chargers.
GRANHOLM: Yes.
BASH: When will that network be ready? And when do you think the majority of drivers will be using electric vehicles?
GRANHOLM: Yes.
Well, as you probably know, the auto industry itself has said that they want half of their fleet to be electric, new vehicles sold, by 2030. This is a transition, that, right now, we&#8217;re not there yet. But we want to make sure that one of the reasons that people aren&#8217;t buying electric vehicles to the extent that they could be is because there aren&#8217;t charging stations.
And so there is a significant amount in the bipartisan infrastructure bill to build out that network. Right now, charging stations are largely in places where electric vehicles already are. So it&#8217;s a chicken and egg. We want to fill that out, so rural areas, poorer areas have access to the fuel that&#8217;s necessary.
And then, in the Build Back Better agenda, there will be incentives to be able to purchase electric vehicles that will bring the cost down to the same level as gas-powered vehicles. That all &#8212; all of that is happening. This is part of the long term. The build out of this will occur over the next few years.
It&#8217;s not going to happen in one year. It is a multiyear bill. So this is why the president has his eye on the future to make sure that we get the clean energy necessary to make sure that the United States is taking advantage of this new global economy.
Having just come back from Glasgow yesterday, it is really important for us to stake &#8212; to take a stake in this whole clean energy economy. And that&#8217;s what this bill starts.
BASH: Let me ask &#8212; yes.
And let me ask you. You&#8217;re talking about all these things that you say that it&#8217;s going to do. I don&#8217;t need to tell you Tuesday night was not great for Democrats. There is now a Republican-elect governor in Virginia. Republicans almost pulled off an upset in New Jersey.
You are a former governor. What lessons do you take away from Tuesday night?
GRANHOLM: That we &#8212; thank God, and I think that the Democrats in the House got this message very loud and clear &#8212; pass the bill, right? And pass the second part too, because these contain things that everyday people care about.
The governor of Michigan today, Gretchen Whitmer, ran on the phrase, fix the damn roads. And that&#8217;s what this bill does. It fixes the damn roads. It fixes your bridges. It gets broadband to real people. It fixes your homes, so that they&#8217;re not leaking energy. It invests &#8212; the second part invests in child care, which we know we&#8217;re the only industrialized nation that doesn&#8217;t help families with child care.
These are the basics. Bringing down the costs of living for real people, so that you&#8217;re not paying $500 a year to fix your car because you ran over a pothole.
BASH: Well, you mentioned cost of living. I got ask you about gas prices.
GRANHOLM: Yes.
BASH: So, according to AAA, the national average of gas prices is now $3.42 a gallon. Bank of America is predicting crude oil prices could soar another 50 percent by next June.
Could the average gas price in America be $4 a gallon in the United States soon?
GRANHOLM: Well, we certainly hope not. As I say, the Energy Information Agency is going to put out their forecast this week.
The president is all over this. Of course, every president is frustrated because they can&#8217;t control the price of gasoline, because it&#8217;s a global market. You can call upon increased supply, which he has done. And OPEC is, unfortunately, controlling the agenda with respect to oil prices. OPEC is a cartel and it controls over 50 percent of the supply of gasoline.
BASH: Is there anything that the Biden administration can do about OPEC?
GRANHOLM: Well, he can call upon them to increase supply. And they have chosen this past week not to do that.
So, that is going to increase the choke hold on access to affordable fuel at the pump. And so the president is looking at all of the tools that he has.
BASH: What about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
GRANHOLM: That&#8217;s one of the tools that he has. And he&#8217;s certainly looking at that. And I think we will be looking at that forecast that&#8217;s coming out on Tuesday to make&#8230;
BASH: Should Americans in what will likely be a cold winter &#8212; most of them are &#8212; expect to pay higher prices for heating their homes?
GRANHOLM: Yes, this is going to happen. It will be &#8212; it will be more expensive this year than last year. We are in a slightly beneficial position, certainly relative to Europe, because their choke hold of natural gas is very significant. They&#8217;re going to pay five times higher.
But we have the same problem in fuels that the supply chains have, which is that the oil and gas companies are not flipping the switch as quickly as the demand requires. And so that&#8217;s why the president has been focused on both the immediate term and the long term.
Let us get off of the volatility associated with fossil fuels and associated with others who don&#8217;t have our country&#8217;s interests at heart and invest in moving to clean energy, where we will not have this problem. And that&#8217;s so much of what these two bills are focused on.
BASH: Secretary Granholm, thank you so much for coming in.
GRANHOLM: You bet.
BASH: Nice to see you. Appreciate it.</blockquote>

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