MAKE AMERICA ENERGY INDEPENDENT AGAIN

He also announced plans to convert the federal government's fleet of 650,000 vehicles to all-electric. Combined, these policies placed our country in an extremely vulnerable position, as the war in Ukraine has exposed. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gasoline prices have skyrocketed 47 cents per gallon, reaching the highest level since 2008. Average gasoline prices have now surpassed $4 and are racing to surpass the historic record of $4.11 per gallon. This is catastrophic for the American economy and will lead to an even greater inflation rate, which is already at a four-decade high. In January, consumer prices surged 7.5%, with major increases in food, electricity and shelter contributing to most of the gain. With gasoline prices now exploding, Americans will experience even higher inflation in the future. Unfortunately, American wages are not keeping pace with the surging inflation rate, so the average American is falling further behind economically. A recent Labor Department report showed that wages increased 4% in the last year; however, the inflation rate is at 7.5% and rising.    As the Biden administration tries to exert even more economic pressure on the Russians, there are ongoing discussions with other countries to ban the importation of Russian oil. United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, "we are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil." If this ban is enacted, it will surely inflict economic pain on the Russians. However, it will also lead to even higher energy costs for Americans, as we import 3.5% of our oil and 21% of our gasoline from the Russians.  

Under President Biden, the United States has become an energy dependent country once again

Under President Biden, the United States has become an energy dependent country once again. We import oil from Canada, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia. Nigeria, and Iraq, among other countries. It is outrageous that the United States is dependent on any authoritarian, socialist, or corrupt country for our energy needs. With our vast energy resources, the United States should not be importing one drop of oil. We must stop sacrificing jobs and economic opportunity at the "green" altar of climate change. The Biden administration's record has shown that pursuing "green" energy and thwarting the production of more domestic oil and gas leads to higher prices at the pump and more dependence on foreign oil. While these policies are pleasing to far-left "squad" members like U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), they are painful to working class Americans who must commute to work, buy their groceries, and try to provide for their families. As gas prices have soared, Biden has refused to retreat from his "green" agenda, but he did authorize the release of thirty million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Supposedly, this will mitigate the economic damage from rising oil prices; however, it is a mere band-aid. Daily, Americans use over 20 million barrels of oil. Thus, Biden's decision is not enough to cover two days of American oil consumption.

While adversarial countries such as Iran and Russia raked in billions of dollars, our oil and gas industry suffered

The genuine answer to this dilemma is to return to the Trump energy policies. According to Scalise, "President Biden should immediately reverse his devastating policies that are causing gas prices to skyrocket and are giving Putin leverage against the rest of the world and return to the policies that were working under President Trump to create American energy dominance." To deal with these problems, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Energy Freedom Act on Friday. The goal of the legislation will be to "make America energy independent again by accelerating federal permitting for energy projects and pipelines, mandating new onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales, approving pending LNG export licenses, and generally speeding up solar, wind, and geothermal development." According to Cruz, America became energy dependent again "Because on day one of his administration, President Biden issued illegal and hostile orders aimed at American oil and gas producers, which have increased energy prices and directed profits to other oil exporting countries." While adversarial countries such as Iran and Russia raked in billions of dollars, our oil and gas industry suffered. Cruz believes that, if enacted, his bill will "create new jobs" and "lower energy costs." Ironically, the increased reliance of foreign oil has led to more environmental damage since other countries do not produce energy in environmentally friendly ways. Thus, expanding energy production in the United States is good for the environment. As Cruz notes, "modern energy production in the United States is far cleaner" than in any other country in the world "by every measure." The bill will reduce permitting red tape, prevent Biden from stopping lease sales and will end "the presidential permit requirement for cross-border energy projects." The United States needs to unleash our energy industry to benefit consumers, restore our economy and reduce our dependence on hostile countries. It is imperative that the needs of average Americans be placed above the demands of the radical climate change fanatics, who dominate the Biden administration. In the November elections, Republicans must run on a platform which includes energy independence. After paying $4 per gallon for gasoline, voters will be receptive.