‘Blame Trump at the Pump’ – Demonstration at D.C. Gas Station Highlights How Trump Policies Are Driving Up Prices to Four-Year Highs
May 24, 2018
‘Blame Trump at the Pump’ – Demonstration at D.C. Gas Station Highlights How Trump Policies Are Driving Up Prices to Four-Year Highs
Public Citizen Calls Out Trump Policies That Are Taking a Bigger Chunk Out of Consumers’ Wallets This Memorial Day Weekend
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump’s policies are causing gas prices to skyrocket to a four-year high as 36.6 million Americans are expected to take to the road this Memorial Day weekend, Public Citizen said today at a demonstration held at a local gas station.
With a 15-foot tall inflatable oil barrel and signs saying “Blame Trump at the Pump,” Public Citizen activists alerted motorists passing the Exxon station southeast of Union Station in Washington, D.C., to the fact that their wallets will take a bigger hit than in years past, and that Trump is partly to blame. Watch video and see photos of the demonstration.
Since Trump’s inauguration, U.S. gas has jumped 60 cents per gallon, meaning the average American household is paying nearly $300 more a year for gas. In that time, gas has risen from $2.33 to $2.92 per gallon as of the week of May 21, 2018, a 25.7 percent increase.
The spike can be attributed in part to three Trump policies: 1) rolling back clean car standards, 2) exporting American oil and 3) cancelling the Iran nuclear deal.
Federal policy is being driven by the oil, gas and auto industries, which have a large amount of influence over this administration, a Public Citizen report released Wednesday shows.
“Trump’s policies are costing the American families he pledged to protect,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. “We know the industry is driving this policy. Trump could take steps to alleviate the strain on Americans’ wallets, but he is more interested in catering to industry demands.”
Added Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program, “As long as Trump continues to cave to industry rather than protect the American people, we will continue to raise our voices and challenge his faulty, industry-serving policies that are costing consumers more every day.”
“As Americans fuel up to visit friends and family this Memorial Day weekend, they should blame Trump at the pump for the highest prices in four years,” said Madeline Page, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s clean cars program. “Trump should reverse course on his dangerous policies that threaten to steal billions from hardworking families.”
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