State governments are also being urged to forego taxation “to relieve US consumers who have been affected by Putin’s price increases.”
In the USA, too, drivers have had to pay significantly more for petrol and diesel since the beginning of the Ukraine war: According to government information, the price of a gallon of petrol has risen by around two dollars since the beginning of the year to currently around five dollars.
“The President is aware of the existential challenge that high fuel prices pose for working people with families,” the government official continued. However, even the suspension of fuel taxes will not be able to offset the rapidly rising cost of living.
Rising energy prices and high inflation rates have recently caused the approval ratings for Biden to drop significantly – midterm elections will be held in the USA at the beginning of November. Biden has therefore declared the fight against high inflation to be his top priority in domestic politics. The inflation rate in the US reached 8.6 percent in May, the highest level in 40 years. Consumers in the USA recently had to pay 34.6 percent more for energy than in the previous year.
Recently, Biden also criticized leading oil companies. The profit margins of oil giants like Chevron and ExxonMobil are “significantly higher than normal”. Biden appealed to the corporations that it was their “patriotic duty” to supply more fuel. “Exxon made more money than God this quarter,” Biden noted. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is meeting with refining industry officials on Thursday to urge them to expand production.
According to a media report, after the cutback in gas supplies to Germany, the federal government wants to announce the second stage of the gas emergency plan.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has now declared that Germany will not agree to a ban on internal combustion engines. A few hours earlier, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) said the opposite. The focus of the dispute is the use of synthetic substances, so-called e-fuels.
Before the meeting of health ministers on Wednesday and Thursday, four countries are calling for a concrete corona roadmap for autumn and winter, including the obligation to wear masks, contact restrictions and compulsory testing. Health Minister Lauterbach has also drawn up a seven-point plan.
