CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

President Bush on Tuesday blamed Congress for repeatedly blocking his attempts to address high gas prices and challenged Democratic leaders to deliver solutions.

The president, at the onset of a news conference at the White House, noted that gas prices have increased $1.40 per gallon since Democrats won the majority in Congress. High gas and food prices are a daily reminder to Americans that the economy is ailing.

“One of the main reasons for high gas prices is that global oil production is not keeping up with growing demand,” Bush said. “Members of Congress have been vocal about foreign governments increasing their oil production, yet Congress has been just as vocal in opposition to efforts to expand our production here at home.”

The president pointed to his efforts to open up drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), an initiative that would “likely mean lower gas prices.”

In an election year, it will be crucial for each party to avoid being blame for the troubled economy. Bush is seeking to paint Congress as the obstacle to improvements, just as Democrats have pointed a finger at the White House for blocking their proposals.

The president noted that Congress has also stood in the way of his plans to build more refineries and increase the use of “clean, safe nuclear power.”

“Instead, many of the same people in Congress who complain about high energy costs support legislation that would make energy even more expensive for our consumers and small businesses,” Bush stated. “Congress is considering bills to raise taxes on domestic energy production, impose new and costly mandates on producers, and demand dramatic emissions cuts that would shut down coal plants and increase reliance on expensive natural gas. That would drive up prices even further.”

The president also said Democrats in Congress are not doing enough to address high food prices, calling the farm bill now being considered “bloated,” and arguing it would subsidize “multimillionaire farmers” instead of helping ordinary Americans.