Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) | Sen. Marsha Blackburn/Twitter
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) | Sen. Marsha Blackburn/Twitter
With prices costs across the board as gasoline prices have soared, President Joe Biden has pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine for America's misery.
Some Republicans, however, dismiss that notion, saying fuel prices had been on the rise well before Russia's military entered Ukraine.
"On the day that President Biden took office, the average gallon of gas was $2.38," Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted. "At the time of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the average price was $3.53. This isn't Putin's price hike — it's because of Joe Biden."
From the time Biden took office to the week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine—the week of Jan. 18, 2021, to the week of Feb. 14, 2022—American gas prices climbed 32.8%, a St. Louis Federal Reserve report showed.
From the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to this week—-the week of Feb. 21, 2021, to Monday, April 11, 2022—gas prices in America climbed 13.6%, an increase of less than half that of the price increase that took place from the time Biden took office until the start of the war, the report showed.
On Tuesday, April 12, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for the 12 months ending with March 2022. The data showed an 8.5% all-items annual increase, which is the largest increase since 1981—more than 40 years.
The BLS report showed that increases in the gasoline, shelter and food indexes were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all-items increase. The gasoline index rose 18.3% in March, accounting for more than half of the all-items monthly increase.
Biden's strategy has been to place blame for the rise in American prices—particularly the price of gas—on Russia's war with Ukraine that began in March. His administration coined the hashtag phrase #PutinPriceHike on Twitter and frequently stated that price increases have "nothing to do" with his administration's policies, a Thursday Fox News report said.
"Make no mistake, the current spike in gas prices is largely the fault of Vladimir Putin," Biden said in the report.
As of Thursday, residents of North Carolina are paying an average of $3.82 per gallon of regular gas, an American Automobile Association report said.
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