The price of gasoline continues to rise in the US 1:08
(CNN) ––
The Secretary of Commerce of the United States, Gina Raimondo, admitted Tuesday that there is not much more the White House can do to face the record gasoline prices that affect Americans.
And in that sense she blamed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Why are gas prices reaching records in the US and why will they stay that way for a long time?
"Unfortunately, that's the cruel reality," Raimondo said in response to CNN's Kate Bolduan.
And he added that there are not many steps left for President Joe Biden to take.
"You know, this is largely due to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's aggression. Since Putin moved his troops to the Ukraine border, gasoline prices have risen by more than $1, 40 a gallon. And the president [Biden] is asking Congress and other possible ideas. But, as you say, the reality is that there is not much more to do, "he insisted.
Gasoline prices break records in the United States by increasing US $ 0.25 in a week
The commerce secretary's grim assessment comes as gas prices have been skyrocketing for weeks, leaving Americans increasingly paying more at gas stations just as summer begins.
In addition, the increase in the cost of fuel also represents a political headache for the Biden administration in the midst of already high inflation.
The average price of regular gasoline nationwide rose another five cents on Tuesday and hit a new record high of $4.92 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The figure represents an increase of 30 cents in the last week alone and 62 cents in the last month.
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Raimondo on Tuesday mentioned the possibility of a gas tax exemption, but that would require action by Congress.
The official also described the record steps Biden took to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves.
Something that has had a negligible effect on prices.
Prices will not decrease until the end of the war in Ukraine, the secretary stressed.
"Again, what we have to do especially is to get Putin to end this war. And that's also something that we're working as hard as we can... The president [Biden] thinks about this every day, and he pushes his team and Congress to come up with whatever ideas they can because we're well aware of how this hurts American families," Raimondo added.
Gasoline price shoots up again in the US 1:16
Asked if she was comfortable with Biden meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman next month to potentially help curb fuel costs, Raimondo suggested the president "is going to use every arrow he has to aim to lower gasoline prices for Americans.
He also added that he has "full confidence" in Biden's judgment on that meeting.
And he reiterated that the US government is considering suspending some tariffs that were imposed on China during the Donald Trump administration.
But he refused to go into details.
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