McConnell: Biden needs to "take the shackles" off U.S. energy production

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the U.S. must return to a state of energy independence during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," saying the Biden administration must "take the shackles off of domestic production."

Why it matters: During an interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan earlier this week, McConnell highlighted domestic energy production as a key policy priority in 2023.

• "We’re going to do everything we can do to push this administration into domestic energy production," McConnell told Swan.

What they're saying: "It's really ridiculous. I mean, the administration wants everybody else to produce more except us. They want us to be green and so they're going after our allies in the Middle East asking them to up production," McConnell said Sunday.

• "We were energy independent as late as 2019. We can be energy independent again," he added.
• "The administration needs to take the shackles off of domestic production. We can meet our own needs and we can export, and help the Europeans as they wean themselves away from Russian oil and gas, which I think clearly now, they realize is the best and safest path forward."

Worth noting: Energy independence alludes to the goal of producing enough fuels to avoid relying on the rest of the world to fill up gas tanks and keep electricity flowing, writes Axios' Neil Irwin.

• But the U.S. did produce more petroleum than it consumed in 2020, and the numbers were essentially in balance in 2021, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Go deeper: The U.S. is now energy independent