Is Biden Reconsidering Pre-paid Gas Cards? – Fox News reported on Friday that the White House is reportedly reconsidering distributing pre-paid gas cards to millions of Americans only months after originally dismissing the idea.
The report comes as gas prices continue to climb at an unprecedented rate, reaching a national average of $5.01 this month – the highest on record.
One White House official told FOX Business that the Biden administration has not ruled out distributing gas cards to help Americans cope with the rapidly rising cost of fuel at the pump.
“The president has made clear that he is willing to explore all options and hear all ideas that would help lower gas prices for the American people,” the unnamed official said.
The same official said that no decisions have yet been made.
The Washington Post reported on Friday how the White House’s rumored plan to deliver pre-paid gas cards to drivers will be complicated by the ongoing global semiconductor shortage
The outlet confirmed that White House sources say the president is considering the idea, but that on top of a plethora of political issues, the idea will be hindered by a lack of chips that would need to be used in each card.
“Aides had found that shortages in the U.S. chip industry would make it hard to produce enough rebate cards, two people familiar with the matter said, “ The Washington Post reported.
CNN Sources Say It Won’t Happen
CNN reported earlier this week that the Biden is unlikely to go ahead with the plan. A White House source told the outlet that the president and other government officials are still weighing many options to help Americans with the rising cost of fuel, but that gas cards probably won’t be the White House’s ultimate choice.
While gas cards are a popular idea among American voters, the Biden administration knows that their effect will be limited. Not only would drivers get limited use out of a prepaid gas card, they would be difficult to administer and there would be no way to ensure that the money is used to pay for gas.
With the IRS already struggling under a burdensome workload, with a backlog of tax filings and returns that has plagued the agency for several years, the move looks like it could make the situation worse and cause further trouble for American tax payers.
To top it off, Congress would also need to approve the emergency funding. Not only would it be difficult for the president to navigate through the divided Senate, but it could deny him yet another legislative victory in the run-up to the November midterms.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
