[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 118 (Monday, July 18, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H6684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               WHITE HOUSE IS MISLEADING AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Rose) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, on July 2, the President of the United 
States sent out this message to small business owners across America: 
``My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices 
at the pump is simple: This is a time of war and global peril. Bring 
down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are 
paying for the product, and do it now.''
  When I first read this message, I was perplexed. After all, the 
President should know that gas stations already offer their fuel at a 
price just slightly above what they buy from wholesalers. There is 
basically no room for cost savings at this final step in the supply 
chain. In fact, most gas stations make their money on what is sold in 
the convenience store and not at the gas pump.
  This ill-advised message does nothing to help solve the problem but 
only confuses and angers the small business owners who own gas stations 
and convenience stores. Even billionaire Jeff Bezos called out the 
White House, saying: ``Inflation is far too important a problem for the 
White House to keep making statements like this. It is either straight-
ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market 
dynamics.''
  I agree with Mr. Bezos. This is far too important of an issue for the 
White House to keep misleading the American people. Apparently, 
President Biden missed the lesson on economics the day they studied it 
in class, or maybe he has just forgotten what he learned.
  The bottom line is that the President needs to take this issue more 
seriously and stop pointing the blame at others. First, it was Russia; 
then, it was the oil companies; and now, it is the gas station owners. 
It is only a matter of time until the President finds a way to blame 
this on Republicans or perhaps former President Trump.
  Ultimately, the buck stops at the White House, and the President must 
take responsibility for his anti-energy policies that have made it more 
and more difficult to explore and drill for oil right here under our 
feet in the United States.

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