The White House proudly announced recently that a 4th of July cookout would cost 16 cents less this year thanks to President Joe Biden. That’s insulting in itself, but the savings isn’t nearly enough to make up for soaring prices as inflation runs rampant and Americans have a harder time making ends meet.

It didn’t have to be this way.

One of the major accomplishments of Donald Trump’s administration was moving America down the road toward energy independence. We began producing more oil here at home, becoming one of the world’s top oil producers and for the first time in 75 years exporting more than we imported. This had a broad impact on our economy by lowering prices on food and consumer goods, as well as making a commute to work more affordable. It also allowed the U.S. to avoid becoming dependent on the political agreements of OPEC nations.

It didn’t take long for Biden to make America energy dependent once again.

On his second day in the Oval Office he signed an executive order immediately canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline permit. And now he’s being sued for $15 billion for that politicized breach of North American free-trade obligations. Taxpayers might get a double whammy — higher gas prices and a $15 billion bill.

Biden’s move was publicized as a way to address the “climate crisis,” but the editors at The Wall Street Journal highlight what’s really going on here:

As cognitive dissonance goes, this is a classic. President Biden’s explicit policy goal is to reduce U.S. oil and gas production, limiting the global supply of fossil fuels in the name of fighting climate change. Yet his Administration is now imploring the OPEC oil cartel to pump more oil so U.S. gasoline prices don’t rise more than they already have on Mr. Biden’s watch.

This is bad timing for U.S. consumers.

Some states are only now finally emerging from COVID lockdowns and more people are heading back to work and other places. All that activity requires energy. According to the Journal, “U.S. petroleum consumption is now roughly where it was at this time in 2019. OPEC estimates that oil demand in industrialized countries will increase by 2.7 million barrels a day this year.”

The argument that oil production contributes to climate change falls flat on its face again. How do we know? Biden and the Democrats are perfectly willing to let other countries produce oil and control the markets at the expense of American sovereignty and economic strength.

The reality is we need to be producing more oil at home during a time when demand continues to increase. The Biden administration knows this, but it’s caving to the climate change crowd rather than taking care of hard-working Americans who could use a break with soaring inflation and rising gas prices.

When other countries call the shots on oil production, American drivers are the losers every time. Now, experts believe infighting among OPEC allies and Saudi Arabia will result in even higher fuel prices in July and August.

Prices are already at a seven-year high. The current national average, according to AAA, is $3.14 compared to $2.18 a year ago. That’s a bit unfair because of low demand a year ago, but $3.14 is high regardless.

Where prices go from here is heavily dependent upon whether or not “Saudi Arabia and UAE can reach an agreement — although it is unclear when talks will resume if at all,” according to Fox Business. “On Sunday, the UAE pushed back against the OPEC Plus group, which includes non-OPEC producers like Russia. The UAE said it supported a proposed gradual increase in production favored by Saudi Arabia, the group’s largest producer, and by non-member Russia. But the UAE said it also wanted an increase in its own permitted level of production.”

In other words, Americans are completely dependent on the outcome of political infighting among oil-producing nations. That’s unacceptable, and so is the Biden administration claiming to be saving us 16 cents on a cookout when our wallets are being gouged at the gas pump.