Schrier’s pattern of refusing to take responsibility continues with surging gas costs
Kim Schrier has a hard time accepting responsibility for the policies she supports. Last month, Schrier made headlines by declaring it “un-American” to blame anyone other than Vladimir Putin for record-high gas prices.
Asked on a podcast to explain the reason behind rising gas prices, Schrier said,
“You should be blaming Putin, if anybody for this. And to not blame Putin, first of all, is denying reality and, second, frankly, is un-American. This is Putin’s fault.”
Let’s be clear, there is no shortage of issues to pin on Putin, but what explains rising gas prices prior to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? Don’t worry. Schrier has an answer! According to her, the blame lies with the pandemic and the failure of oil companies to turn on their rigs in time to meet demand. She claimed,
“During the pandemic, 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 was to blame.”
Perhaps realizing the far-fetched idea that the entire oil industry would fail to foresee the need to turn on their rigs, Schrier has since refined her blame game. She’s moved on to accusing oil companies of price gouging and profiteering — [check out the Washington Examiner’s Fact Check here].
Schrier’s blame-game strategy relies on voters forgetting recent history. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated an existing problem – a lack of oil supply. Schrier correctly stumbled on the basic reality that low supply and high demand increase prices. But she stopped short of the truth behind low supply.
In a move that Schrier and other Democrats supported, President Biden stopped domestic drilling of oil within weeks of taking office. Biden raised the cost estimate of carbon emissions to $51 per ton when deciding on leases for drilling, choosing to account for the global economic impact rather than the domestic impact of climate change on his first day in office. For comparison, the cost estimate was $7 per ton under the prior administration.
A federal judge blocked Biden from using higher cost estimates of climate change, saying it would “artificially increase the cost estimates of lease sales.” Biden responded by pausing new oil leases and drilling on federal lands, leading to a significant delay in drilling projects. And far-left politicians like Schrier fully supported his decision.
Far-left politicians like Schrier are responsible for backing the policies that led to higher gas prices and increased our dependence on oil from hostile foreign regimes like Russia. But accepting responsibility means changing course, and that’s not something Schrier is willing to do – even to spare hardworking families from severe financial burdens.
Blaming others for her failures has become a pattern for Schrier. When she was caught violating the STOCK Act by not disclosing the purchase of Apple stock worth up to $1 million for two months, Schrier blamed her husband for failing to inform her of the purchase. Now – from blaming Putin, to the supply chain, to price gauging – Schrier is running away from her own responsibility in rising gas prices.
Voters deserve more from their representatives. Americans need leaders willing to admit when they are wrong, change course, and improve – not to initiate a never-ending blame game based on out-of-touch party insiders’ latest talking points.
We cannot continue under leadership that refuses to take responsibility for failed policies for another two years. It’s time for a change of leadership in the 8th Congressional District.