Biden Claims His Policies Aren’t Holding Back Energy — His Own Executive Orders and Campaign Pledges Say Otherwise

On 3/9/2022, Biden claimed “it’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production” — while the video compiled his own executive orders making climate change “the center of our national security,” his campaign pledge to stop oil drilling on federal lands, and his advisor saying “there is no amount of domestic production we can do” to solve energy vulnerability. Granholm again pitched EVs as the solution, and Biden made an awkward comment about three congressmen, saying “two look like they could play ball and the other one looks like he could bomb you."

"Simply Not True” — vs. Biden’s Own Words

Biden’s denial was directly contradicted by his own record. “Let me be clear. It’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production. That’s simply not true,” Biden said.

But the video juxtaposed Biden’s own campaign statements. “I’ve argued against any more oil drilling or gas drilling on federal lands, and we can stop that,” Biden had said on the campaign trail. “I would not allow any more.”

His January 2021 executive order was even more explicit. “This executive order I’m signing today also makes it official — climate change will be at the center of our national security and foreign policy,” Biden had said. He appointed John Kerry as climate envoy, calling climate change “one of the most pressing threats of our time."

"No Amount of Domestic Production”

Biden’s economic advisor made the administration’s actual position clear. “There is no amount of domestic production that we can do when we’re dealing with a volatile global commodity where the price is set globally,” the advisor said. “There’s no amount of domestic production we can do to reduce or eliminate our vulnerability as a country to that volatility.”

“The only way to do that is to reduce the energy intensity of the economy overall, which means shifting to cleaner sources of energy,” the advisor added.

A commentator noted the contradiction. “Sarah Bloom Raskin, prior to the most recent issue with the invasion of Ukraine, was almost out in saying that, yeah, we want to cut off financing to the fossil fuel industry to keep this stuff in the ground,” the commentator said. “You can’t say you’re doing both."

"Keep This Stuff in the Ground”

The video highlighted the administration’s broader anti-fossil-fuel regulatory agenda. “Someone actually tweeted me the executive order from January 2021 on shifting regulatory approaches,” a commentator noted. “The National Labor Relations Board, 401k plans that consider climate — whether an investment is suitable based on climate considerations.”

Democrats also pushed back on the “green transition” talking point. “At the same time, it underscores the need for our renewable agenda, our climate agenda, and we can move away from fossil fuel dependency,” one Democratic lawmaker said.

Granholm: “Not Expensive”

Energy Secretary Granholm was asked whether clean energy policies raised oil prices. “Doesn’t clean energy just raise oil prices even more? Because we’re still dependent very heavily on fossil fuels and it’s very expensive to get there,” a reporter asked.

“It is not expensive. Clean energy is the cheapest form of energy. Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy,” Granholm insisted. She again pitched EVs: “If you charged it at home, it would cost you maybe $12 to fill it up” versus $50-60 for gasoline.

“Not that everybody can afford one,” Granholm acknowledged — a caveat that undermined the entire pitch given that the average EV cost exceeded $60,000.

”Two Look Like Play Ball”

Biden made an awkward comment about three congressmen at an event. “The three congressmen you have here, two of them look like they could — they really could and did play ball — and the other one looks like he could bomb you,” Biden said, drawing uncomfortable laughter.

Iranian Oil as “Byproduct”

A reporter asked whether Iranian barrels would come online if a nuclear deal was reached. “That’s certainly something that is a possibility, but of course you have to get to the deal first,” an official said. “The reason for the deal is a denuclearized Iran. If there is a byproduct of increased supply, so be it.”

$5 Gas Expected

An analyst predicted the worst was yet to come. “How high do you think gas prices could go? I would not be surprised if we saw $5 gasoline at some point, and that’s going to be disruptive for many people,” the analyst said.

Key Takeaways

Biden claimed his policies weren’t holding back energy production — while his own executive order made climate “the center of national security” and he had pledged on the campaign trail to stop oil drilling on federal lands.
His economic advisor said “there is no amount of domestic production we can do” to solve energy vulnerability, calling for a shift to clean energy instead.
Granholm insisted clean energy was “not expensive” while acknowledging “not everybody can afford” an electric vehicle.
Biden’s January 2021 executive order embedded climate considerations across federal agencies, regulatory bodies, and investment policy.
An analyst predicted $5 gasoline was coming, calling it “disruptive for many people.”

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

It’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production.
I’ve argued against any more oil drilling or gas drilling on federal lands. I would not allow any more.
There is no amount of domestic production we can do to reduce our vulnerability. The only way is to shift to cleaner sources.
Climate change will be at the center of our national security and foreign policy.
It is not expensive. Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy. If you charged at home, maybe $12.
Two of them look like they could play ball, and the other one looks like he could bomb you.

Full transcript: 993 words transcribed via Whisper AI.