Sen. Marsha Blackburn blames the Biden administration for the repeated price hike of gas and not Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The latest BLS rise in inflation for the month of March has been announced as 8.5%, the largest year-over-year increase since 1981. The Biden Administration has continued to place blame on Putin and Russia's war with Ukraine for the price hikes continuing across America. However, minimal research shows inflation has been on the rise since Biden entered office in January 2021.
"On the day that President Biden took office, the average gallon of gas was $2.38. 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," said Sen. Blackburn in a tweet.
From the time Biden took office to the week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine -- the week of January 18, 2021, to the week of February 14, 2022 -- American gas prices climbed a steep 32.8%.
From the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to this week -- the week of February 21, 2021 to Monday, April 11, 2022 -- American gas prices climbed 13.6%. This increase is less than half that of the price increase that took place from the time Biden took office until the start of the war.
On April 12, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for the 12 months ending March 2022. The data showed an 8.5% all items annual increase, which is the largest increase in over 40 years since 1981.
According to the BLS, increases in the gasoline, shelter, and food indexes were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase. In March, the gasoline index rose 18.3% and accounted for over half of the all items monthly increase.
Biden has been placing blame for the rise in American prices, particularly gas prices, on the Russian war with Ukraine since early March. His administration coined the phrase #PutinPriceHike on Twitter and has frequently maintained that rising prices have "nothing to do" with his administration's policies, telling the American people, "make no mistake, inflation is largely the fault of Putin."
Nevada continues to be the home of some of the highest gas prices in the country. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average price of gasoline in Nevada is $5.10 per gallon, up almost 20 cents from a month ago.
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