周二，美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)首次以总统身份前往爱荷华州，宣布降低天然气价格的新举措，因为政府面临着消费者价格指数(CPI)较一年前上涨8.5%的局面，这主要归因于他所谓的“普京的价格上涨”。
“你的家庭预算，你加满油箱的能力，都不应该取决于一个独裁者是否在半个地球之外宣战并实施种族灭绝，”拜登说，他似乎首次即兴表示，俄罗斯在乌克兰的行动相当于“种族灭绝”。美国政府有一个内部程序来指定是否发生了种族灭绝，其他西方国家还没有做出决定。
拜登上周被直接问及他是否认为布加勒斯特的暴行是种族灭绝，正如乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽伦斯基(Volodymyr Zelenskyy)所声称的那样，但当时回应说，“不，我认为这是战争罪。”
但在周二，他说:“是的，我称之为种族灭绝。因为已经越来越清楚的是，普京只是想消灭哪怕是能够做一个乌克兰人的想法。证据越来越多。”
总统还简要介绍了纽约地铁枪击案在转向他在通货膨胀加剧的情况下降低油价的计划之前。
这三月消费物价指数报告美国劳工统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics)周二公布的数据显示，由于物价上涨对全球消费者产生影响，美国的通胀率正处于40多年来的最高点。报告称，与一个月前相比，价格上涨了1.2%，这引发了人们的担忧，即如果美联储更加积极地加息以抑制通胀，可能会引发经济衰退。
拜登说:“普京入侵乌克兰推高了全世界的天然气价格和食品价格。”。“所以一切都在上涨。我们在今天的通胀数据中看到了这一点。3月份价格上涨的70%来自普京的汽油涨价。”
白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)试图先发制人地缓冲周一报告数据的打击。她表示，白宫预计核心通胀率和总体通胀率之间会有很大差异，并指出天然气价格是这一差异的主要原因。
“仅举一个例子，自从普京总统在1月份加强军事力量以来，平均汽油价格上涨了80多美分。大部分上涨发生在3月份，汽油价格有时比入侵前的水平高出一美元以上。大约25%的价格上涨将推动明天的通胀率，”普萨基说。
为了应对这些价格，拜登周二宣布，他将在夏季发布一项临时紧急豁免，允许销售“E-15”——一种掺有15%乙醇的天然气，而不是通常的10%，白宫表示，这将使每加仑天然气价格下降10美分。通常，E-15不会在夏天出售，因为人们认为它会增加烟雾。
拜登说:“环境保护署正计划发布一项紧急豁免，允许E15汽油在今年夏天在美国销售，这种汽油使用更多来自本土作物的乙醇，以增加燃料供应。”“这不会解决我们所有的问题。但是它会帮助一些人，我会尽我所能去帮助他们。即使口袋里多了一两块钱。”
但此举影响有限:全国只有2%的加油站有E-15，大部分在中西部。白宫回答了美国广播公司新闻提出的一个问题，即这对美国人的影响是否微不足道。
“最终，这是为了给美国人更多的选择和更多的灵活性，”一名白宫官员在总统发表讲话前表示。“拜登总统知道，每一分钱都很重要，即使考虑到能源效率的差异，家庭也会看到节省。”
甚至在入侵乌克兰之前，通货膨胀甚至天然气价格都一直在上涨。A新的ABC新闻/益普索民意调查发现美国人更有可能将价格上涨归咎于民主党政策(52%)和拜登(51%)，而不是共和党政策(33%)和前总统唐纳德·特朗普(24%)。绝大多数美国人(68%)也不赞成拜登处理天然气价格的方式。
拜登的爱荷华之行正值7个月后的中期选举。在2020年的竞选中，他在这个州花了很多时间，但最终以9分之差输给了前总统唐纳德·特朗普。
虽然他的言论将集中在他的政府降低油价的行动和去年通过的两党基础设施法上，但拜登可能会觉得有义务解决周二的报告，该报告显示，汽油、租金和食品价格的上涨是美国通货膨胀的最大因素。与一个月前相比，汽油价格上涨了18.3%，是通货膨胀的主要原因;其他能源价格也上涨了。食品价格上涨1%，国内食品价格上涨1.5%。
除了食品和能源，房租是价格上涨的最大因素。机票、家具和操作、医疗保健和汽车保险也助长了通货膨胀。与一个月前相比，二手车和卡车下降了3.8%。
这份报告虽然符合预期，但并没有缓解人们的担忧，即美联储面临着在不引发衰退的情况下冷却通胀的艰巨任务。
Biden blames 'Putin's price hike,' says gas prices shouldn't depend on his committing 'genocide'
President Joe Biden traveled to Iowa on Tuesday for his first time as president to announce new efforts to bring down gas prices as the administration faces an 8.5% jump in the consumer price index compared to a year ago, which it attributes mostly to what he called "Putin's Price Hike."
"Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should on hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away," Biden said, appearing to ad lib that Russia's actions in Ukraine amount to "genocide" for the first time. The U.S. government has an internal process for designating whether genocide has occurred, and other Western nations haven't made the determination.
Biden was asked directly last week if he thought the atrocities in Bucha were genocide, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed, but responded at that time, "No, I think it is a war crime."
But on Tuesday, he said: "Yes, I called it genocide. Because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian. And the evidence is mounting."
The president also offered brief remarks on thesubway shooting in New York Cityfrom Menlo, Iowa, before pivoting to his plan to ease gas prices amid intensifying inflation.
TheMarch CPI reportreleased Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed inflation is at its highest point in the U.S. in more than 40 years as rising prices have an impact on consumers worldwide. Prices were up 1.2% compared to just a month ago, the report said, raising concerns that, if the Federal Reserve gets more aggressive in raising interest rates to temper inflation, that might trigger a recession.
"Putin's invasion of Ukraine has driven up gas prices and food prices all over the world," Biden said. "So everything is going up. We saw it in today's inflation data. Seventy percent of the increase in prices in March came from Putin's price hike in gasoline."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tried to preemptively cushion the blow of the report numbers on Monday. She said the White House expected a large difference between core and headline inflation, pointing to the price of gas as the main reason for the discrepancy.
"Just as an example, since President Putin's military buildup in January, average gas prices up more than 80 cents. Most of the increase occurred in March and gas prices, at times, prices were up more than a dollar above pre-invasion level. That roughly 25% increase in prices will drive tomorrow's inflation rating," Psaki said.
To address those prices, Biden announced Tuesday he issuing a temporary, emergency waiver for the summer to allow the sale of "E-15" -- a blend of gas with 15% ethanol, rather than the usual 10%, which the White House says will bring down gas prices by 10 cents a gallon. Usually, E-15 is not sold in the summer because it's believed to add to smog.
"The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to issue an emergency waiver to allow E15 gasoline that uses more ethanol from homegrown crops to be sold across the United States this summer in order to increase fuel supply," Biden said. "It's not going to solve all our problems. But it's going to help some people and I'm committed to do whatever I can to help. Even if it's an extra buck or two in the pockets."
But the move will have a limited impact: Only 2% of gas stations around the country carry E-15, mostly in the Midwest. The White House countered a question from ABC News on whether the impact would be insignificant for Americans.
"Ultimately this is about giving Americans more options and more flexibility," a White House official said ahead of the president's remarks. "President Biden knows that every cent matters and families will see savings even after taking into consideration the difference in energy efficiency."
Inflation and even gas prices have been on the rise even before the invasion of Ukraine. Anew ABC News/Ipsos pollfound Americans are more likely to place a "great deal" or a "good amount" of the blame for the price increases on Democratic Party policies (52%) and Biden (51%) than on Republican Party policies (33%) and former President Donald Trump (24%). A strong majority of Americans (68%) also disapproves of the way Biden is handling gas prices.
Biden's trip to Iowa comes with the midterm elections seven months away. It's a state he spent a lot of time in amid the 2020 campaign, but ultimately lost to former President Donald Trump by nine points.
While his remarks are set to focus on his administration's actions to lower gas prices and the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, Biden might feel obligated to address Tuesday's report, which showed increases in prices for gasoline, rent and food were the largest contributors to inflation for Americans. Gasoline prices rose 18.3% compared to a month ago and were a major contributor to inflation; other energy prices also increased. Food prices increased by 1% and the food at home prices by 1.5%.
Aside from food and energy, rent was the biggest factor in the price increases. Airline fares, household furnishings and operations, medical care and motor vehicle insurance also contributed to inflation. Used cars and trucks fell 3.8% compared to a month ago.
The report, though in line with expectations, does nothing to temper concerns that the Federal Reserve has a tough job ahead of it in cooling this inflation without sparking a recession.
