Biden energy crisis: Decreased supply, rising prices buffet America at home and on world stage

Experts tell Just the News an energy crisis caused by diminished domestic supplies and rising prices will continue and affect everything from the cost of meals at the dinner table to geopolitical events impacting national security. 

Peter Navarro, former Trump White House director of trade and manufacturing policy, told Just the News Editor-in-Chief John Solomon on a special report with Real America's Voice that despite using about "2 million barrels of oil a day less than we were prior to the pandemic," America can't meet the demand. 

The reason for that "is a dramatic, policy-induced reduction in production," said Navarro, referring to the Biden administration's energy policies. 

President Biden signed an executive order banning oil leasing on federal lands, which, Navarro said, is illegal and will lose in court. Then, when the president starts leasing again, the administration will "set the prices and terms so unfavorably that oil companies really aren't going to want to purchase the leases," he said.

Trump administration Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said that the Biden "administration, from day one, began an aggressive effort to threaten the current production of energy resources and harm the future production of those resources."

In addition to banning oil leases on federal lands, Biden stopped construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Bernhardt noted. 

While former President Trump had freed the U.S. from depending on OPEC for oil, the Biden administration is "depending on the Middle East for the supply of energy, which harms our economic security and our national security," said Bernhardt.

The Biden administration's energy strategy is "to increase the cost of energy," said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). "That is their policy. They don't like fossil fuel, they don't want America to drill for it. So when gas prices are high and cause political pain to them, they go begging the Saudis to drill to make up the deficit in terms of American production.

"We became energy independent, and the first thing that Joe Biden did was just destroy that independence. So no, this is their policy — this is the exact result they want. They can't be honest about that, but they're getting exactly what they want — higher energy prices, higher gasoline prices.

"When you increase the cost of energy, you are increasing the cost of every good, whether it's, you know, plastics that are based on oil or gas, or any kind of carbon fuel, or just transporting any other good. It just all leads to higher prices. But this is exactly what they want. They're just not going to be honest about it. Nor is the media going to be honest about it."

Referencing the border crisis and U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Johnson added, "our biggest risk is the fact that no matter what Biden is doing, it is weakening America."

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said that his state's agriculture is negatively affected by higher energy prices because both the cost of fuel and fertilizer are increasing as a result. Natural gas is used to make the nitrogen for fertilizer.

"Here in Montana, we're told this winter to expect between a 50 and 60% price increase in natural gas — that applies to farmers as well," Knudsen said. "And that applies to the supply chain in fertilizer. And this is really going to hurt Montana agriculture and national agriculture. And that's going to affect the price that you ultimately pay for a loaf of bread at the grocery store."

The Keystone XL pipeline that Biden canceled was going to bring property tax revenue to the state and create over 4,000 jobs, Knudsen explained. Now, he laments, the pipeline is being pulled out of the ground. 

"Unfortunately, that company has walked away from that project completely," he said. 

The energy crisis also makes America more vulnerable to its enemies, Knudsen warned.

"[W]e're in a situation right now where the Biden administration has choked down our own domestic oil production and natural gas production," he said. "And we're now literally asking our enemies, countries that hate us — openly hate us — 'Please, sir, may we have some more? Please open your spigots, and sell us more of your oil.'

"This just puts us in a very difficult position, just strategically. I'm no military genius, but it doesn't take a degree from the War College to understand that you're funding our enemies and asking our enemies for a strategic resource that they know we need, because we're not producing it here domestically."