Republicans Using Orchestrated Campaign, Coordinated Messaging Blitz to Put Heat on Obama Admin Over High Gas Prices

Congressman John Boehner criticized the Obama administration and its allies yesterday for blocking GOP efforts to expand energy production and for not having a strategy to address high gas prices (the administration has openly admitted lowering gas prices isnt their goal). Enough of this, Boehner said, Its just about damn time that we actually have a national energy policy.

Boehners remarks come as reports highlight Republicans campaign to hold President Obama and Democrats accountable for blocking GOP bills that would help create new jobs and address gas prices that are rising faster than ever. Watch Boehner here and read more below:

Heres a look at some of the coverage of Republican efforts to hold the administration accountable:

• Republicans are doing a coordinated messaging blitz this week on gas prices. House Republicans had plenty of opportunity to talk about gas prices when they pushed through four energy bills two weeks ago before lawmakers were on break last week. This included plans to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline, approve oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, expand drilling offshore and quicken oil shale production out West. (Politico, 2/28/12)

• Republicans continued an orchestrated campaign to pummel President Obama for rising gas prices In both the House and Senate, Republican lawmakers took aim Tuesday at the administration’s decision to shelve the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and criticized its investments in renewable energy, including the botched federal loans to the Solyndra solar equipment firm in California. (Chicago Tribune, 2/28/12)

• Republicans have intensified their attacks on Obama’s energy policies in recent days, focusing on rising gasoline prices (Reuters, 2/28/12)

• Republicans have hammered Democrats on the price spike, repeatedly noting that gas prices now at $3.72 per gallon for regular have doubled since Obama won the White House. (The Hill, 2/28/12)

Republicans have passed a series of bipartisan jobs bills under the American Energy Initiative and Plan for Americas Job Creators that remove barriers to energy production and stop policies that drive up gas prices. But these bipartisan bills remain stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The failure of the Obama administration and Senate Democrats to act prompted a letter from Congressman Boehner to President Obama yesterday. According to Politico, Boehner wrote, Over the last three years, your administration has blocked, slowed and discouraged the production of critical American energy sources. These actions are bad for energy prices and bad for jobs. Reuters says Boehners letter raises the heat on President Obama to work with Republicans and approve projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, which would create tens of thousands of new jobs.

Read the full letter here, and be sure to Like the American Energy Initiative on Facebook today.