Americans could see increased energy costs if Russia invades Ukraine, Harris says


Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday that Americans could see their energy costs rise if Russia invades Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.
"It requires sometimes for us to put ourselves out there in a way that, maybe, we will incur some cost. And in this situation, that may be related to energy costs, for example," Harris told reporters at the Munich Security Conference before boarding her flight back to Washington, D.C.
She added that the Biden administration is "taking very specific … steps to mitigate what that cost might be, if it happens."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Americans are already chafing under high energy prices. A Bureau of Labor Statistic report released last month showed that the prices of gasoline and fuel oil increased by 40 and 46.5 percent, respectively, between Dec. 2020 and Dec. 2021. According to Bloomberg, Russia exports more oil to the U.S. than any other nation except Canada.
Europe will also feel the pressure if Russia turns off the tap, and the U.S. could end up paying the price to alleviate that pressure. Last month, The New York Times reported that the Biden administration was working with "gas and crude oil suppliers from the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia" to ensure NATO would not be crippled if Russia shut off natural gas shipments.
The vice president also shut down any speculation that Russia might step back from the brink: "Putin has made his decision. Period."
Harris met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich on Saturday. Zelensky told Harris through an interpreter that he is grateful for American support and that "the only thing we want is to have peace."
In a speech to the conference on Saturday, Harris warned that the U.S. and NATO would respond to a Russian invasion with "far-reaching financial sanctions and export controls," though she clarified Sunday that the U.S. will not impose sanctions preemptively.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Higher toy prices from Trump's tariffs have arrived
In the Spotlight Three out of four toy products in the US come from China
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump