Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Corporate Profiteers Price Gouging On Gas

Right now the national average for gas prices in America stands at about $4.43 for regular unleaded and everyone is asking what very much seems like a simple question: WTF?

Why does it seem like anytime there’s any international conflict overseas, it results in a steep gas price hike in America and around the globe? Well, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other top Democratic legislators believe they know the answer and they’re shouting it from every rooftop they can climb.

Corporate profiteers are price gouging and that’s part of the reason why $20 in the tank ain’t $20-ing like it used to.

As Crooks & Liars reported, Ocasio-Cortez responded Monday to a tweet from MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle asking “what’s going on” with gas prices rising to damn near four-fiddy amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fellow “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) echoed the same sentiments in response to the question replying, “Big Oil CEOs need to be held accountable for profiteering.”

But Democratic lawmakers aren’t just tweeting about the issue, they’re drafting legislation to fight it.

Last week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced the Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax to target fossil fuel companies profiteering amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The measure is co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) simultaneously introduced a House version.

But not all Democrats support not allowing capitalism to have folks watching the gas needle on their dashboards come dangerously close to E while they pray their way to their destinations while riding on fumes. And that’s why Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who reportedly opposes government funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, which I’m sure has nothing to do with his family coal business or large corporations making it rain campaign donations on him.

“Truly bizarre how in Washington it’s totally allowed + acceptable to accept hundreds of thousands in fossil fuel money + own millions in fossil fuel investments while brazenly killing clean energy policy, but what’s NOT acceptable is raising that fact &questioning the connection,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.