The White House reassured American citizens over and over on Monday that there was no gas shortage in the country after the Colonial Pipeline attack before admitting supply problems just hours later.
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, brought in Homeland Security’s Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Security Advisor for Emerging Technologies, Anne Neuberger, to calm Americans about the Biden administration being on top of the problem, urging everyone to stay calm.
“Right now, there is no supply shortage,” Sherwood-Randall said to reporters at the briefing.
Psaki also stressed during this briefing that, “at this time, I would just say: We do not have a supply problem.”
President Biden talked about the topic later, reassuring people he was working to “solve any impact on the nation’s fuel supply” with preparations for more actions if needed.
But as news of gas lines and shortages came and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper put out an executive order declaring a state of emergency, the White House was forced to admit the truth.
“We are watching shortages in the Southeast and are discussing every action we can take to solve the problem as fast as possible,” she wrote in a comment.
First-hand reports of shortages emerged on social media on Monday and Tuesday as drivers were shocked to discover gas stations had no fuel.
Author: Scott Dowdy
