The White House on Tuesday responded to news of a surprise Opec decision to cut oil output limits by saying it hoped the cartel did not take actions that hurt the US economy.
"It is our hope that producers do not take actions that undermine the American economy and American workers, and American consumers for that matter," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said.
Opec on Tuesday agreed to the cut in oil output limits from April 1, a delegate said in Algiers, Algeria.
Duffy said the action underscores the need to pass Bush's stalled energy legislation, but conceded passage would not have an immediate impact.
"Had we passed an energy bill three years ago when the president called for one, we would have been in a lot better position to today to absorb market fluctuations of this kind," he said.