“This, more than anything, will go at the cost that Americans face,” he added, noting that the bill’s provisions won’t add to any inflationary pressures.
The comments from Deese come as House Democrats hope to pass the $1.75 trillion economic bill this week, pumping money into a number of social safety net programs that the White House aide argued “go at lowering costs for American families.” Deese said he’s “confident” that the chamber will approve the package this week.
Deese would not directly answer whether Biden was willing to open the US’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve or to stop gas and oil exports to address rising crude oil prices, telling Tapper: “We are very committed to do everything we can to make sure that American consumers don’t bear the brunt of high gas prices and volatile energy prices and the President has made clear that all options are on the table.”
“We’re monitoring the situation very carefully,” he said.
A release from the SPR, which is designed to protect the nation against a major disruption in oil supplies, would likely only provide modest, temporary relief from higher prices at the pump.
This story has been updated with additional details Sunday.
