WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Lawmakers are playing the blame game over high gas prices in the United States. There are several proposals they are considering to address the issue.

Rep. Buddy Carter says President Joe Biden is behind the spiking costs at the pump.

“We’re hearing a lot of Democrats trying to deflect blame off of the Biden administration. And that is who’s responsible for the increasing petroleum prices right now,” the Georgia Republican said.

Both sides admit the Russia-Ukraine conflict is part of the increased cost.

Democrats like Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida say oil company executives are taking advantage of the global crisis to pad their bottom lines.

“These are record-breaking profits. Why aren’t they putting some of that into relief for consumers?” Castor said.

However, Republicans like Rep. Carter and Rep. Neal Dunn point back at President Biden and his energy policies.

“This is bad policy. We have an energy industry that can make America independent,” Dunn, R-Fla., said.

Many people just want to see solutions that bring the gas prices down. Some lawmakers have suggestions about how to do that.

Rep. Donald McEachin is pushing for direct payments.

“If this congressman has his way, you’ll be getting a debit card with a certain dollar amount on it to help you pay for your gas,” McEachin, D-Va., said.

But many Republicans say the solution is to make it easier for companies to produce oil.

“Because it works on a futures market, the immediate relief would be to show confidence to the energy companies that we are going to have an ‘all of the above’ type energy strategy,” Carter said.

Mike Sommers with the American Petroleum Institute agrees.

“We need to get production back online as quickly as possible. And we need a regulatory scheme that advances that American energy leadership, rather than undermines it,” Sommers said.