In a Sept. 6 press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated gas prices are “down $1.20 from last summer to this summer.”

Jean-Pierre made this statement after being asked a question about the White House’s effort to lower gas prices following an extension of oil production cuts in Saudi Arabia.

The question posed to Jean-Pierre during the briefing is as follows: “And the Saudi decision to extend their oil production cuts — what’s your reaction to that? How does that complicate your effort to lower gas prices?”

“So, look, it — it doesn’t complicate our efforts. We’ve been very clear. The President has said at the — at the — at the top, or the center, of his economic policy is lowering costs for Americans, right? And — and so, our focus is going to be abou- — about American consumers, how we can continue to do that,” Jean-Pierre replied, according to a transcript of the briefing.

“If you look at what we’ve been able to do th- — from last summer to this summer — lowering gas prices by a — by a dollar twenty cents — that is — that is because of the work that this administration has done. And so, we’re always going to be focused on how — what — you know, what — what steps we can take to continue to lower prices for Americans,” she said.

According to data provided to Check Your Fact by AAA, the national average gas price for unleaded gas was $4.9675 on Jun. 21, 2022. On June 21, 2023, the national average gas price for unleaded gas was $3.5807. This makes for a difference of $1.3868.

Similarly, the same data shows the national average gas price for unleaded gas on July 4, 2022 was $4.8072. A year later, on July 4, 2023, the national average gas price for unleaded gas was $3.5294. This makes for a difference of $1.2778.

Furthermore, the national average gas price for unleaded gas on Aug. 30, 2022 was $3.8439, whereas it was $3.8268 on Aug. 30, 2023, which makes for a difference of $0.0171. In addition, AAA’s website shows the current national average gas price for regular gas at $3.808 as of Sept. 8, 2023 in comparison to $3.751 a year ago.

Most of the high prices last summer were mainly in part due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with prices on the west coast exceeding $6 in some areas, according to CNBC and data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The rise was also caused by a “gap year” in refining, or the loss of capacity for repurposing of refineries for renewable diesel or caused by natural disasters, and low existing supply, CNBC reported.

Summer 2023 gas prices reached their highest levels in 10 years, according to Insider. This summer’s prices have also surpassed that of last summer and represent the second highest level ever, according to AAA, the outlet indicated. The prices have been impacted by supply cuts from Saudi Arabia and Russia, including the Wagner Group insurrection in June 2023 in Russia that sent prices higher, Yahoo Finance reported.

GasBuddy, a service that helps drivers save money on gas, warned consumers of a potential price spike expected to affect the U.S. in the coming days via a Sept. 7 X post. (RELATED: Viral Image Of Costco ‘Blame Joe Biden’ Gas Pump Screen Is Digitally Edited)

“Gas prices in some areas of the US are predicted to jump 50c/gal-$1/gal in the next few days. Fill up now to avoid overpaying,” the entity advised.

Minnesota and other states situated in the Corn Belt are particularly expected to see spikes in gas prices due to a refinery outage, GasBuddy said via its website.