On Thursday morning, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

However, she got herself in some trouble when she was asked about the causes of why the nation’s gas prices have been skyrocketing. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) laid out how the prices had hit a record high, and are projected to hit a national average of $6 a gallon by August. Granholm’s explanation for the price hike infuriated Hawley, and was just a ridiculous lie that he wouldn’t let her get away with.

Secretary Granholm tries to repeat Biden's bogus "Putin Price Hike" talking point and it… does not end well for her…

"That's utter nonsense," says @HawleyMO. Long before Putin invaded Ukraine, "from January to August the price of gasoline was up over 30% in my state…" pic.twitter.com/nM809xJove

— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) May 19, 2022

From Townhall:

“Today in the State of Missouri, the average price of gasoline is $4.10,” Hawley noted, adding the “average price of diesel is $5.18. And I’m sure you’ve seen the reporting this morning that now AAA is projecting that gas prices will hit a national average — average — of $6 a gallon by the month of August, he said. “Is this acceptable to you?”

“No, it is not,” Secretary Granholm claimed before saying “you can thank the activity of Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine,” another Biden administration blame-shifting attempt.

“Oh nonsense,” Hawley interjected. “With all due respect, Madam Secretary, that’s utter nonsense.”

“In January of 2021, the average gas price in my state was $2.07,” Hawley reminded Granholm. “Eight months later, long before Vladimir Putin invaded, that price was up 30 percent and has been going up consistently since. What are you doing to reverse this administration’s policies that are drawing down our own supply of energy in this country, that are throttling oil and gas production in the United States of America – what are you doing about it?” he asked.

Granholm denied that the Biden policies were contributing to the prices, and Hawley laid out what Biden had done in just his first few days in office.

“From January to August, the price of gasoline was up over 30 percent in my state alone,” he reiterated. “It has been a continuous upward tick since then, and here’s what your president did when he first came to office. He immediately reentered the Paris Climate Accord, he canceled the Keystone Pipeline, he halted leasing programs in ANWR, he issued a 60-day halt on all new oil and gas leases and drilling permits on federal lands and waters — that’s nationwide, that accounts, by the way, for 25 percent of U.S. oil production — he directed federal agencies to eliminate all supports for fossil fuels, he imposed new regulations on oil and gas and methane emissions,” Hawley noted. “Those were all just in the first few days, are you telling me that’s had no effect on our energy supply?” he questioned.

Hawley demanded to know what they were doing to address the situation. Granholm said that they were releasing a million barrels a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. While that’s reducing our reserve that’s supposed to be for emergencies (not to deal with failed Biden policies), it’s had no effect on reducing prices. Prices have continued to rise despite that. So, we’re reducing our savings account, without doing anything to deal with the problem. Granholm claims they were also calling for an increase in supply.

“Who are you calling for an increase in supply from?” Hawley questioned.

“From our domestic oil and gas manufacturers, from international oil and gas manufacturers,” Granholm said.

That’s when Hawley let Granholm have it, “Even as you cancel their leases?”

About a week ago, Biden canceled three oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska, thus cutting off millions of acres from possible drilling, despite his claims that he was working on increasing the supply. So Biden did that, even in the face of the months of high prices and now more record-setting prices. That just shows where his priorities are at — not with what is in the best interests of the American people. How dare he do that, then his Energy Secretary has the nerve to blame Putin? They are shameless.