Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warned Friday that gas prices will climb even higher if what he called “anti-fossil fuels zealots” take control of government, days after Democrats swept a string of elections across the country.
Paul shared an op-ed by David Asman that accused the left of talking about affordability while doing nothing to lower gas prices when they hold power. “If you think gas prices are high now, wait until the anti-fossil fuels zealots takeover!” Paul wrote, pointing to Democratic energy policy the last time the party controlled Washington.
That record includes former President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office and his administration’s push for “Green New Deal” policies, including incentives to move Americans into electric vehicles.
The op-ed notes gas prices peaked at $4.55 a gallon in some areas under President Obama in May 2011 — the equivalent of $6.78 today when adjusted for inflation. Under Biden, prices peaked at $5.03 a gallon in June 2022, equal to $5.79 today. Under President Trump, the highest spike was $4.55 a gallon in mid-May of this year.
As of Tuesday, the national average for regular unleaded gas stood at $3.9788, still below the record $5.0165 average set during the Biden administration in 2022. Diesel, however, hit an all-time high of $6.5276 in September.
AAA reported in a November 5 release that the national average for regular fuel dropped 12 cents over the previous week, as crude oil prices eased back into the $80s-to-low-$90s-per-barrel range. Even so, AAA noted that pump prices remain the highest they have ever been for this time of year, with the national average never having topped $4 per gallon in November before 2026. The current average is more than a dollar higher than it was a year ago.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) echoed the warning, predicting Democrats will deepen the country’s affordability problems once back in office.
“Democrats plan to ‘tackle’ affordability, but they will not address the reason — massive borrowing, printing, and spending — we have had and continue to have inflation in the first place,” DeSantis said. “If anything, they will add gas to the fire like Biden did.”
