Here we are again, and who gets hit the hardest by the rising gas prices? You. Me. The single mom who hustles to make ends meet. The student trying to get to classes. We see it every time we pull up to the pump, our hard-earned money evaporating faster than the fuel it buys.

But it’s not just about the gas in our cars. Every business out there is bleeding money because of these prices, and what do they do? They pass it on to us. Our groceries? More expensive. Daily essentials? The price has shot up. And us? We’re stuck with the mounting bill.

This is all happening as government politicians are safely cocooned in their bubble of government cars and gas cards, which we all pay for with our tax money. To make matters worse, many California state politicians actively work to eliminate domestic oil production (look to see who voted Yes to eliminate domestic oil production). Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), our foreign oil providers, are playing their game of cutting down oil supplies. The result? Rising gas prices.

A recent Reuters story highlighted the Biden Administration’s mad scramble to stabilize fuel supplies. They’re rushing to strike deals with oil producers and refiners, desperate to prevent higher gas prices. The irony? This same Administration has spent much of its time putting hurdles in the path of domestic oil production. 

Statements from the American Petroleum Institute indicate the government’s twisted strategies of delaying offshore explorations, inhibiting infrastructure development, and blocking vast land areas from oil production. It’s painfully evident: the Biden Administration has been walking in one direction while looking the other, and now they’re stumbling over their own feet.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s data is the cold, hard proof of our struggle – a shocking national price of $3.984 per gallon of gasoline in August’s third week, a jump from $3.676 in July. Let’s not even talk about California’s horrible $5.526 per gallon. And brace yourselves; the worst is yet to come. With U.S. refinery maintenance lined up this fall, prices will likely climb even further.

While Biden and his government officials scramble, our households are left to deal with the fallout.