President Biden went off script during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, making a key admission about American energy that prompted mixed reaction as the U.S. turns to foreign adversaries amid the push for renewable energy.
That admission, claiming the nation will need oil and gas for another 10 years, comes as critics accuse the White House of stifling domestic production, which has had a major impact on home heating costs and rising gas prices.
President and founder of the Oil & Gas Workers Association Matt Coday joined "Fox & Friends First" on Thursday to discuss the president's confession and how his policies have impacted the industry's workers and the American energy market as a whole.
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"Joe Biden talks out of both sides of his mouth," Coday told co-host Ashley Strohmier. "Biden has the chance to prove that his administration really cares about every American and wants to lower gas prices and wants to increase production here in the United States by approving infrastructure projects, by speeding up federal permitting, by getting his boot off the national American workers and let us get to work."
During the president's second State of the Union Address earlier this week, Biden said the U.S. will "need oil and gas for a while." The comment appeared to prompt some Republicans to cheer.
The president then told an anecdote in which an oil executive asked him why his company should invest in fossil fuel projects in light of the negative business atmosphere for oil and gas projects. Biden said he responded that oil and gas would be needed for years to come.
"They said, 'Well, we're afraid you're going to shut down all the oil wells and all the oil refineries. So, why should we invest in them?' I said, 'We're going to need oil for at least another decade and beyond,'" Biden added.
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But Coday warned the issue at hand with American energy is even greater than just the economy, and that Biden's energy policies are actually placing the U.S. at risk as the nation turns to foreign adversaries for oil.
"We're talking about a grave threat to our national security," Coday said. "This isn't just about the economy. This isn't just about our jobs. This is about our national security and leaving us dependent upon hostile foreign nations."
"We're hopeful that all Americans will see that Biden's policies hurt every American and that we get some people in office who really put American workers and families first," he continued.
The Biden White House has come under fire for pivoting on its energy stance, with some critics suggesting an inconsistency.
Just last month, the Biden administration issued a 20-year mining ban in Minnesota, which comprises 225,504 acres of land rich in mineral oil reserves. The move was announced in an effort to protect the environment and wildlife.
Weeks later, the administration approved a drilling project in Alaska to bolster wells and pipelines. The "Willow Project" also includes plans for a processing plant, an airport and a gravel mine.
But even if the U.S. pivots its energy policy to bolster domestic oil production, Coday argued the country faces hurdles in the journey ahead, and it will likely be years before domestic production is up to par.
"We're talking about months to bring a new well to production," Coday said. "We're talking about years to get back out of the woods, but if we don't start now, we're not going to get there any faster. We need to be drilling more here in the United States right now."
"Other foreign countries are drilling, and we see China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, Iraq, Venezuela, drilling, why aren't we drilled here in the U.S.?" Coday questioned. "Because this administration says one thing and does another and will leave us dependent upon foreign oil."
Fox News' Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.
