Haley bashes Biden on energy: ‘More suffering, less security’

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley delivered a hearty rebuke Monday of President Biden’s energy policies, vowing to “open our country’s energy floodgates.”

“In Joe Biden, we have a president who seems to genuinely hate American energy,” Haley mused at the American Energy Security Summit in Oklahoma City, according to prepared remarks.

Echoing many Republican gripes about Biden, Haley blasted the current administration for throttling US energy potential while turning to foreign adversaries for imports in a bid to keep gas prices down.

“Americans are paying more but getting less. Under this administration, energy prices have risen twice as fast as everything else,” Haley beefed. “That’s the consistent theme of the past two years — more suffering at home, less security abroad.”

As of Monday, the average nationwide price of a gallon of regular gasoline stood at $3.85, up from $3.71 at this time last year, according to AAA.

Haley took specific issue with Biden canceling the Keystone Pipeline, restricting drilling off US coasts, tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and permitting oil production in Venezuela.

“Joe Biden’s endgame could hardly be more clear: Kill American jobs, crush American companies, and keep American energy in the ground — forever. This isn’t just un-American. It’s anti-American — and it must end!” Haley proclaimed.

Biden has publicly sought to steer the US away from fossil fuels toward green energy, citing the threat of climate change.

Last year, his administration secured passage of the $740 billion so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which featured an array of tax breaks and subsidies for environmental initiatives.

Haley, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, framed the energy debate in a geopolitical context Monday, warning that slow production could play into China’s hands.

“My goal isn’t just energy independence, though we should always have that. My goal is to make America energy-dominant,” she exclaimed.

“I’ll stand up to every enemy that uses energy against us. Russia, Iran and Venezuela are using their oil to advance their evil,” she continued. “I’ll introduce our enemies to their worst nightmare — American energy dominance.”

To achieve “energy dominance,” Haley vowed to fast-track permits for new projects, such as pipelines and storage facilities.

“It shouldn’t take years, much less a decade, to get a permit. It should take weeks — if not days. If we could build the Pentagon in 16 months, we can approve the Keystone Pipeline in 16 minutes,” she said.

Additionally, Haley pledged to stand up to “special interest groups” that use the legal system to stymie energy production.

“As president, I will never demonize our energy companies or demean the patriots who work for them,” she further promised.

Haley is polling in fourth place among the 2024 Republican pack with 5.3% support in the latest RealClearPolitics average.

Her campaign has highlighted a slight polling boost she enjoyed after the first Republican debate on Aug. 23. GOP hopefuls are gearing up for the second debate in Simi Valley, Calif., on Wednesday — though the front-runner, former President Donald Trump, has said he won’t be in attendance.