López Obrador told Biden in the Oval Office that natural gas is much cheaper on his side of the border. “We decided it was necessary to allow Americans living near the border… [to] go get their gas from the Mexican side at lower prices,” he told Biden through a translator. “And right now, a lot of drivers, a lot of Americans are going to Mexico to get their gas. We promise to guarantee twice as much… And right now a gallon of regular costs $4.78 on average at [US] on the border side and in our territory, $3.12. As of Tuesday, the average cost of regular natural gas was $4.66 a gallon in the U.S., according to AAA, down from an all-time high of more than $5 less than a month ago. California, which borders Mexico, remains one of the most expensive states for natural gas, at more than $6 a gallon, according to AAA. In Texas, the average is about $4.20. López Obrador did not cite a source for gas costs in Mexico, and the website globalpetrolprices.com reports a higher Mexican average of about $4.41 a gallon. President Biden meets with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the Oval Office.Susan Walsh/AP Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told President Biden that natural gas is much cheaper on his side of the border.Susan Walsh/AP Although López Obrador appeared to make the offer in good faith, it threatens to provide new fodder for Biden’s domestic critics, who have slammed his administration’s energy policies. Republicans regularly point out that Biden tried last year to impose a moratorium on new oil drilling on public lands while boosting new pipeline projects, including the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada. Biden and oil company executives have recently traded public spats over responsibility for record prices. High gas prices are contributing to the worst inflation since 1981 and are politically lethal for Biden and his fellow Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections for Congress. The average cost of regular gas is $4.66 a gallon in the US. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesGas in Mexico costs an average of about $4.41 per gallon. Getty Images The Mexican leader visited the executive mansion hours after first lady Jill Biden apologized through a spokesman for saying Monday that Hispanics are as diverse as “breakfast tacos.” In the same speech on Monday, he mispronounced “bodega,” prompting further ridicule. López Obrador, a left-wing leader often compared to socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), embarrassed Biden last month by leading a boycott of the Biden-hosted Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, citing the US decision to exempt the authoritarian governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Neither leader took questions from reporters Tuesday or addressed the rift over the conference. “A lot of drivers, a lot of Americans go to Mexico to get their gas,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. Susan Walsh/APL Last month, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador led a boycott of the Summit hosted by America’s President Biden in Los Angeles. Susan Walsh/APBiden told AMLO they would privately discuss “rehabilitation efforts” for immigrant families being separated at the border by the Trump administration. Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS U.S. natural gas prices rose gradually through 2021 — from about $2.30 to $3.27 a gallon — before rising when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Biden last month asked Congress to temporarily waive the federal gas tax of 18.3 cents per gallon, but was rebuffed. In March, he ordered the release of a million barrels a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and allowed a higher ratio of ethanol in gas in the summer. At one point during remarks in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Biden told López Obrador that they would privately discuss “reparation efforts,” appearing to refer to stalled talks for the U.S. to pay up to $450,000 per person to families of illegal immigrants which the Trump administration divides at the border. A White House official told The Post, however, that Biden meant to say they would discuss “repatriations,” meaning deportations.
