According to Saudi Arabian government, President Joe Biden’s administration requested that OPEC nations delay cutting oil production by one month — a move that would have caused gas prices to rise after the midterms.
Saudi Arabia, the nation leading the OPEC oil conglomerate, rejected urges from the Biden administration to delay reducing oil production, saying it would have “negative economic consequences,” according to reporting by The Guardian.
The statement from Saudi Arabia’s government reads: “The government of the kingdom clarified through its continuous consultation with the US administration that all economic analysis indicates that postponing the Opec+ decision by a month, according to what has been suggested, would have had negative economic consequences.”
The decision by the Saudi Arabian government means gas prices in the U.S. could spike before U.S. voters head to the polls, a potentially catastrophic result for Democrats.
In response to the decision by Saudi Arabia to cut oil, supply has been met with outrage from the Biden administration, with a statement from the White House saying on Wednesday (October 12) that the U.S. would “reassess” its relationship with Saudi Arabia.
The hardline approach the Biden administration is taking to news the Saudis will be cutting about 2 percent of the world’s oil production was most evident on Tuesday (October 11) during a White House press briefing.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre suggested the announcement by Saudis showed the nation was siding with Russia while disclosing Biden’s plan to step back from the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia that was cultivated over the last few years.
However, neither the White House nor Biden’s administration has revealed the actions Biden would undertake.
