Critics challenge Schumer’s claim that Democrats reduced energy costs.

Democrats Claim to Lower Energy Costs, But Can They Back It Up?

When Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told journalists after the June 13 party caucus meetings that Democrats under President Joe Biden have “lowered energy costs,” none of the listening scribes challenged the New Yorker to document his claim.

Schumer’s comment about energy costs came in a series of similar cost-cutting claims he made on behalf of Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration.

“While Democrats have spent the last two years lowering energy costs, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, bringing manufacturing jobs back to our shores, Republicans are doubling down on what they do best, pushing tax giveaways to large corporations and the super, super wealthy,” Schumer said.

A Schumer spokesman did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for a clarification of which energy costs the top Senate Democrat was referring to in his comment, or to otherwise explain his justification for it.

The current national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.58, according to AAA, while the average national price of a gallon in January 2021 was $2.38, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), a 50.4 percent increase.

The data for natural gas futures shows a different picture, with the price of 1 million btus of natural gas in January 2021 being $2.60, compared with $2.26 for the same purchase in the period June 12, 2023, to June 16, 2023, according to EIA, for a 13 percent decrease.

The data on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows a mixed picture, with the index rising 5.9 percent for electricity but the overall energy index dropping by a significant 11.7 percent.

Even so, the price of gas at the pump remains the most prominent energy cost for most consumers, and critics on Capitol Hill and in the energy advocacy and research communities continue to blast the policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats.

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) told The Epoch Times that “since Day One of the Biden presidency, American energy production has been under attack. Evidenced not only by the regulatory stranglehold on the energy sector but by Joe Biden himself, who campaigned on ending drilling. It was no surprise that once he enacted his regulatory policy, gas prices soared to all-time highs. Instead of reversing course and embracing a pro-American energy agenda, he drained our emergency reserves and begged adversaries to increase oil production.

“The American people aren’t tricked by political spin because they fill up their tanks and their wallets miss the days of President Trump’s energy-independent America. Americans deserve real relief and real solutions to lower energy costs—not deceitful words,” said Walberg, who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Similarly, Institute for Energy Research (EIR) Vice President Dan Kish told The Epoch Times that higher energy costs were inevitable under