Hawkeye Reporter

Iowa has seen a significant rise in gas prices over the last year, against a backdrop of inflation and climate change policies by President Joe Biden.

The state’s average gas price is $3.12 per gallon as of Oct. 19, a $1.08 increase from a year ago, according to AAA. The September Consumer Price Index report stated prices have climbed 5.4% nationwide since last year, the largest increase since January 1991.

Chief Bankrate Financial Analyst Greg McBride pointed out the broad effect of inflation, reinforcing the idea that inflation can no longer be considered transitory, CNBC reported Oct. 13. 

“The rise in shelter costs will exacerbate the negative financial impact so many households are feeling from higher prices,” McBride said, highlighting the outsized impact inflation has on the average family.

While Biden’s environmental agenda included crippling the domestic fossil fuel industry and simultaneously removing restrictions on foreign-produced fossil fuels, a New York Post editorial stated he began his time in office killing the Keystone Pipeline, which would have brought 830,000 barrels of oil per day.

According to the article, a Biden official asked that foreign oil producers ramp up production in April, saying, “OPEC+ must do more to support the recovery,” adding that Biden, “has made clear that he wants Americans to have access to affordable and reliable energy, including at the pump.”

In a recent tweet, Biden’s Chief of Staff Ronald Klain referred to inflation as a “high class problem.”

Committee Rapid Response Director Tommy Pigott replied.

"Struggling to pay for food, fuel and housing because of rising prices is not a ‘high class' problem. Biden is making everyone worse off, but instead of stopping the damage, their strategy is to try to gaslight Americans," Pigott tweeted.

The consumer price index stated the rise was driven mainly by steep jumps in fuel, food and housing prices while wages grew by just 4.7%. 

This uptick in inflation signals additional hardships in the coming months as real wages decline for most residents, acccording to a Real Clear Politics commentary. 

As the weather cools and Americans are turning on their heating systems, remaining warm will be more costly this winter. In the last year, according to the Real Clear Politics commentary, the prices of natural gas and propane have increased by 89% and nearly threefold, respectively.