Twenty-four hours after having a meltdown over President Joe Biden not selling his "economic wins" during his State of the Union address, Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday challenged Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg over what the administration will do to lower skyrocketing gas prices.
During her first night as the new host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour, Ruhle had Buttigieg on for an interview about gas prices and other transportation-related topics. Ruhle started by airing an answer Biden gave to a reporter on the North Lawn of the White House in which he said nothing is off the table when it comes to holding Russia accountable for their aggression towards Ukraine, including banning Russian oil imports.
Ruhle immediately jumped on that response from Biden:
President Biden keeping open the option of sanctioning Russian oil exports, even as the costs continues to climb. Oil prices have jumped to their highest level since 2011. Topping more than $113 a barrel. So what does that do? it impacts the price of gas.
Ruhle then brought on Buttigieg and immediately asked him what tangible things can this administration do" to address sky-high gas prices? Buttigieg replied that "a lot of folks sometimes overstate the influence that any one politician can have on gas prices."
He then completely went off topic and started talking about Biden's plan to lower the cost of goods and services like prescription drugs, housing, child care, and insulin, seemingly suggesting that if the President could lower the cost of those items, it would offset the rising cost of gasoline.
Buttigieg didn't seem to be aware of the hypocrisy of saying the President cannot lower gas prices while in the same breath claiming the President can lower the costs of other products.
Regardless, Ruhle wasn't having it. She immediately asked him to stay focused on the topic at hand: "those are long-term solutions for bigger issues. And you know we live in a short-term world. So I just want to stay on gas for another moment." Ruhle continued "you're absolutely right, the President doesn’t set the price of gas but he can influence it." Channeling her NBC colleague Lester Holt from earlier in the day, Ruhle admitted that releasing oil from the strategic reserves is a "drop in the bucket."
Ruhle then made a shocking proposal to Buttigieg:
I realize it is controversial, it has huge environmental impacts, could the president possibly consider authorizing the Keystone pipeline? Working something out with Iran?
Obviously, that was a nonstarter with Buttigieg, who immediately dismissed the idea. The Biden administration would let gas prices spike to $20 a gallon before they ever approve the Keystone pipeline. But good for Ruhle for putting the wellbeing of the country before the Democrat Party's radical environmental agenda.
To read the relevant transcript click "expand":
MSNBC’s 11th Hour
3/2/2022
11:24:49 p.m. EasternSTEPHANIE RUHLE: Nothing off the table, President Biden keeping open the option of sanctioning Russian oil exports, even as the costs continues to climb. Oil prices have jumped to their highest level since 2011. Topping more than $113 a barrel. So what does that do? it impacts the price of gas.
(...)
RUHLE: Already an issue, any person in this country with a car is talking about it, complaining about it. And the thing is, prices are only going to go up. What tangible things can this administration do to address it now?
(...)
PETE BUTTIGIEG: The truth is, I think a lot of folks sometimes overstate the influence that any one politician can have on gas prices. That even an official leadership role like the President of the United States can have. And yet, the President has asked for, sought, and exercised options that are making a difference.
(...)
There is a very powerful message from the President last night, about what we can do to ease the costs that Americans are feeling across the board. No matter what’s happening with the ups and downs of gas prices in this moment or in any moment. We know we can save American families thousands of dollars a year with very specific actions that are absolutely under the control of policymakers in Washington. Lowering the cost of insulin, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, lowering the cost of housing, the cost of child care, on and on with very specific proposals that the President has put before Congress. And if they send them to the President he’ll sign them right away. Costs will go down for American families across the board.
RUHLE: I hear you, sir. But those are long-term solutions for bigger issues. And you know we live in a short-term world. So I just want to stay on gas for another moment. And you're absolutely right, the President doesn’t set the price of gas but he can influence it. And while releasing some strategic reserves matters, given how much has been released it's really just a drop in the bucket. Are there things, like and I realize it is controversial, it has huge environmental impacts, could the president possibly consider authorizing the Keystone pipeline? Working something out with Iran?BUTTIGIEG: Look, the President has said that all options are on the table. But we also need to make sure that we are not galloping after permanent solutions to immediate short term problems.
