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As gas prices across the country continue to rise, Americans should be directing their rage at Russian President Vladimir Putin — and not U.S. President Biden — a Democrat in the House of Representatives said, claiming that blaming anyone but Putin is “denying reality” and “frankly un-American.”
During an interview Monday, Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., told “unDivided” podcast host Brandi Kruse that Putin should be exclusively blamed for skyrocketing prices over the last few weeks.
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“What do you believe?” Kruse asked the Democrat, after noting that political pundits across the country differed on who to blame for Americans having to pay $4, $5, or even $6 for a gallon of gas.
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., a pediatrician, makes remarks on the coronavirus during a news conference after a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“I believe a couple of things,” answered Schrier. “Right now, in the last two weeks, this is Putin. You should be blaming Putin, if anyone for this.”
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“To not blame Putin, first of all, is denying reality, and second, frankly, I think is un-American,” the Democrat added. “So this is Putin’s fault.”
Immediately following the claim, however, Schrier then made the case the rising prices before Putin invaded Ukraine could be blamed on the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent supply and demand reactions of the market.
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“People were already suffering at the gas pump before this,” Schrier said. “We saw an increase of over a dollar per gallon over the last year and a half or so. That can be blamed realistically on the pandemic.”
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 09: Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA) speaks during a news conference on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
She continued: “When people were not going to work and driving was down, gas prices were down. As demand increased and rigs had not yet been turned on, there was a supply-demand issue like with everything else in this country and that [the pandemic] was to blame.”
Yes, she mentions pre-Putin rises in this clip.
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) March 14, 2022
The average price of gas has risen 57 of the last 59 days, a recent AAA report showed, including a 41-cent bump over the last 7 days.
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Gas prices have risen 59% since President Biden took office — prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — with the nationwide average hovering just over $4.30, according to the report.
