DeSantis Criticizes Biden for Asking Saudis for Oil Instead of Domestic Production: ‘They’re Intentionally Not Doing it’
July 19, 2022 Updated 9:00 A.M. ET
JACKSONVILLE (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized President Joe Biden for looking to Saudi Arabia to ramp up oil production instead of focusing on U.S. energy independence.
“How come it’s wrong to produce our own oil and gas here, but you can go to Saudi Arabia and fist bump to try to get it from Saudi?” DeSantis questioned at a press conference Monday.
President Biden reportedly said he expects further oil supply increases from Saudi Arabia to help with the costs in the U.S. However, the president “failed” to secure commitments to a regional security axis or an immediate oil output rise.
“We have opportunities here to be inter energy independent and not have to worry about any of these other countries and yet, they’re intentionally not doing it,” DeSantis said.
In May, President Biden had previously called the nation’s high gas prices an “incredible transition” for the country.
“When it’s over we’ll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over,” Biden said in May.
DeSantis said Monday the U.S. can’t run a modern economy on windmills.
“So we do a lot of solar in Florida, it is a complement, it does not displace the traditional forms of energy,” he said.
Florida’s highest recorded average price for gas hit $4.891 in June.
“You don’t put oil on your car, you put gasoline that has to be refined. Those refineries have been closed in America because you have an administration that says we don’t want any more fossil fuels,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said in a Fox News interview.
“Who’s going to invest more money in an industry that the President and his party is trying to put out of business?”
Rubio is concerned Biden may look to China which has expanded their refineries.
“While we were shutting down our refineries, they’re expanding theirs,” Rubio said. “They’re sitting in the catbird seat, rubbing their hands waiting for Biden to go to them and beg them to process more and refined more oil so we can have more gasoline.”
President Biden has touted that gas prices have dropped for 34 days straight, about 50 cents per gallon.
“I know those extra dollars and cents mean something. It’s breathing room. And we’re not done working to get prices even lower,” Biden said.
Governor DeSantis said those prices are still too high. The Florida average for gas is at $4.22 while some Florida counties face averages as high as $4.48. The national average for gas is $4.49 per gallon.
“They’re bragging that gas has gone down over the last however many weeks,” DeSantis said. “It’s still over four bucks, like I had never seen it over four bucks, in my whole life living here.”
