President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Manchester, N.H. Republicans slammed President Biden’s decision to sell off 1 million barrels of gasoline over the coming weeks from a strategic reserve as a “desperate” attempt to cover for his environmental policies, which they say caused soaring prices at the pump.
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, accused Mr. Biden of “yet again using America’s energy fuel reserves to cover for his disastrous inflationary policies in an election year.” The Biden administration has been gradually refilling the oil reserve, which has more than 367 million barrels of crude oil as of last week, lower than the levels before Mr. Biden drew on it in 2022.
“Depleting our emergency reserves while discouraging domestic production. Such a winning strategy!,” tweeted Gabriella Hoffman, energy and conservation director of the Independent Women’s Forum.