White House says America must reduce dependence on foreign oil … and oil in general

In a Sunday interview with ABC, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that that President Joe Biden wants not only to decrease America's dependence on foreign oil, but on oil in general.

"What this actually justifies in President Biden's view is the fact that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil — on oil in general," Psaki told "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos.

"And we need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others," she continued.

Psaki noted that a number of European nations are coming to the realization that they need to reduce their reliance on Russian oil.

"One of the interesting things, George, we've seen over the last week or so is that a number of European countries are recognizing they need to reduce their own reliance on Russian oil," she said.

Calls for nations to reduce their reliance on Russian oil have grown following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which remains ongoing.

Biden has faced calls himself to restart American oil and natural gas infrastructures, leases, and exploration.

Late last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Senator Jost Hawley called for Biden to reopen the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was canceled as part of Biden's first actions in office.

"He canceled pipelines, he stopped oil and gas leases, he imposed new regulations," Hawley said. "The effect of it has been to make us no longer energy independent, but, in fact, to make us energy-dependent now on nations like Russia."

Noem called for Biden to "restart and expedite" the pipeline, as well as reopen federal lands to drilling and oil or natural gas exploration, and cut regulations slowing down domestic energy production.