The House will vote Tuesday on a measure to ban Russian energy imports into the United States and further punish trade actions hours after President Joe Biden announced executive actions to ban Russian energy imports following bipartisan congressional pressure.
In a letter to colleagues on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the legislation will “support” Biden’s actions announced in the morning and “cut off a major source of revenue for Putin” as he continues a bloody invasion of Ukraine. Energy exports account for around a third of Russia’s budget.
“Separately, as we work to diminish the Russian economy, we remain laser-focused on bringing down energy costs for American families and our partners,” Pelosi said. “Because this legislation is an urgent imperative — both morally and for our security interests — the House will consider this legislation on the Floor today. It is our hope that we have a strong, bipartisan vote.”
In addition to banning the energy imports, the bill will “take steps to review Russia’s access to the World Trade Organization and explore how we can further diminish Russia in the global economy,” as well as “reauthorize and strengthen the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act so that the United States can impose further sanctions on Russia,” according to the letter from Pelosi.
BIDEN ANNOUNCES RUSSIAN OIL BAN, BLAMES PUTIN FOR SURGING PRICES
The Biden administration had held off on banning Russian oil, natural gas, and coal as it pursued other sanctions. Inflation has already been a challenge for the Biden administration and the U.S. economy, and gas prices have surged in recent weeks. About 8% of oil and refined gas imports in the U.S. come from Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But leaders in Congress pushed for a ban on Russian energy as a way to retaliate against its shelling of Ukraine.
“I’m all for that,” Pelosi told reporters last week about banning Russian energy imports. “Ban it. Ban the oil coming from Russia.”
Republicans and Democrats in the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee came to a bipartisan agreement on legislation. But the work hit a snag. Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee released a press release about the agreement, but they took it offline minutes later.
Biden had asked Pelosi on Monday to stop from moving forward on the legislation until he could move first, Bloomberg reported.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday that he did not think the House pressured Biden to act on halting Russian energy imports.
“I don’t think that anything has created any pressure. He’s been very clear-eyed and transparent with the American people all along the way,” Jeffries said. “I don’t think anyone has pressured him into doing anything.”
Additionally, Democratic Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Joe Manchin of West Virginia along with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska last week introduced a separate bill to ban Russian energy imports.
“What you have, frankly, is the Senate, the House, and the executive all agreeing on an objective,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters. “There may be nuances of difference, but in the end, I think we’ll have the same policy that will be executed by the administration.”
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Hoyer added that while the administration “rightfully is concerned” about the “economic costs” of banning oil, the U.S. does not buy much oil from Russia on its own and that any bigger costs will be felt if allies join the U.S. in banning Russian energy imports.
