Blumenauer: No short-term solutions to spike in gas prices

The government can’t do anything in the short term to lower gas prices, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said on Monday.

"The fact is, there isn't anything that’s going to change that tomorrow," Blumenauer told ABC’s “Top Line” when asked what Congress or the White House could do. "You could drain America dry of its oil … and it’s not going to happen overnight."

According to the automobile club AAA, the national average price of a gallon of gas Monday was $3.86. A year ago, it was $2.85.

Blumenauer said that rather than taking steps to artificially lower gas prices, the government ought to get behind alternative forms of transportation that consume less energy.

"The thing that is going to make a difference is to give Americans more choices over how they move and to wean our dependency off of using 10 percent of the world's oil supply in order to go back and forth from work every day," said Blumenauer. "That's nuts."

Blumenauer took the opportunity to tout the energy choices made by his constituents in Portland, Ore. On average, he said, they drive 20 percent less than the average American and depend heavily on bicycles for commuting — as he does.