Washoe News

Nevadans have felt the pinch in their wallets when it comes to the historic inflation the country has been dealing with for more than a year, but now the Biden administration has put blame on Russia's President Vladimir Putin for economic issues here in the states.

President Joe Biden and his administration have recently publicly coined "#PutinPriceHike" in an effort to shift the anger Americans are feeling towards the Russian leader instead of Biden, FOX News reported.

"Let me first say that Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week, according to FOX Business. 

Inflation in the United States has risen steadily since Biden took office in January 2021, according to a February report from Statista. In a year that rate jumped from 1.4% to 7.5%.

As inflation has steadily increased, so have U.S. fuel prices, as reported in historical data from YCharts. The site said the average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gas in March 2021 was $2.94 compared to the start of February 2022 when the price hovered around $3.53. The average cost for a gallon increased to around $3.70 four days after Russia invaded Ukraine. 

"By effectively shutting down our own supply of critical oil and gas, the Biden administration increased our reliance on foreign countries for our energy needs, increased global emissions and increased gas prices for American families," Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) said in a release from his office.

Newhouse's comments came about a year after Biden signed a series of executive orders that stifled domestic energy production and focused instead on climate change, CNBC reported.

However, earlier this month Biden placed an immediate ban on all U.S. imports of Russian oil, gas and energy in a video announcement posted to the president's Twitter account. 

The American Automobile Association said that the national average for a gallon of gasoline has reached $4.32, the highest price Americans have paid since 2008. Nevada residents have expressed concerns over the cost of gasoline.

"The fact that Nevada's gas prices are almost as high as Los Angeles is astounding," John Burke, of Reno, wrote in a tweet. "This is a direct result of @CortezMasto and Joe Biden's assault on our domestic energy production."

The Wall Street Journal reported oil prices have increased for months because petroleum refineries haven't been a bee to produce the amount of oil that was produced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.