Categories: Politics

Dems join GOP in vote to block Biden from selling strategic oil reserves to China

Dozens of House Democrats joined Republicans on Thursday to pass legislation that would prevent the Biden administration from selling any more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to China or Chinese-owned companies.

The House easily passed the bill in an 331-97 vote. Every Republican voted for it, and 113 Democrats – more than half of the House Democratic caucus – joined the GOP.

It was the second vote this week that saw large numbers of Democrats help House Republicans pass legislation. Two days earlier, more than two-thirds of House Democrats voted with Republicans to create a committee to address U.S. strategic competition with China.

The bill was brought up by Republicans after the Biden administration’s decision last year to sell nearly 1 million barrels of oil from the SPR to Unipec America, a U.S.-based company owned by China. The Department of Energy announced that sale in April 2022, and Republicans warned on the House floor that it makes no sense to deliver vast energy resources to entities controlled by America’s largest competitor.

MCCARTHY, GOP, DEMS UNITE BEHIND NEW CHINA COMMITTEE: ‘THE ERA OF TRUSTING COMMUNIST CHINA IS OVER’

“America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant for true energy supply disruptions, like those caused by hurricanes and natural disasters, not to help China,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the new Congress.

House Republicans led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy passed legislation on Thursday that would prevent Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales to China.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling portions of it to China is a significant threat to our national security,” she said. “The administration is not just hurting our own ability to respond to emergencies and national security events, they are actively bolstering the oil reserves of our most dangerous geopolitical adversary: the Chinese Communist Party.”

The Biden administration has released more than 200 million barrels from the SPR to ease rising energy prices in the U.S. over the last year, and McMorris Rodgers said those releases were designed to “cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crises.”

BIDEN TAKEN ABACK BY MULTIPLE REPORTERS SUGGESTING OIL RESERVE RELEASE IS MEANT TO HELP DEMOCRATS

She added that some of the oil that was not sold directly to Chinese-owned entities ended up in China’s hands.

“As we know, much of that oil went to China because our refineries and pipelines are full. It now has nowhere to go here,” she said. “Millions more barrels went to overseas traders who eventually sent it to China. We also know that China is ramping up its purchases of crude oil from Russia and the U.S. to boost its own reserves.”

President Biden has overseen a historic reduction of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The bill says the Energy secretary shall not sell SPR reserves to any entity under the control of the Chinese government, “except on the condition that such petroleum products will not be exports to the People’s Republic of China.”

While most Democrats voted for the bill, the debate featured only Democrats who tried to dismiss it by saying sales to China are the GOP’s fault because congressional Republicans in 2015 lifted the longstanding ban on crude oil.

5 REASONS TO DRILL IN THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE INSTEAD OF DRAINING PETROLEUM RESERVE

“As a result, our exports of crude oil to China surged, averaging a half billion every day during the last year of the Trump administration,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J.

Republicans countered that this policy change happened under the Obama administration, when Republicans were working with that administration to “unleash American energy” and export it around the world. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said that plan continued under President Trump, under which “record production” of energy took place.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the new Congress, and urged lawmakers to pass her bill to stop Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales to China.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

However, Guthrie said this has changed under the Biden administration and during the last two years of the Democratic Congress, which have been pushing to reduce energy production even as they support record withdrawals from the SPR.

“The problem we’re facing today is because of President Biden and the Democrats’ in Congress war on American oil,” Guthrie said. “That’s the problem we’re here to address.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

SPR reserves have remained well above 600 million barrels since the turn of the century, but fell below that level in early 2022 as the Biden administration began selling off reserves. The reserve level fell below 400 million barrels late last year.

Share

Recent Posts

Stanford prof accused of using AI to fake testimony in Minnesota case against conservative YouTuber

A Stanford University "misinformation expert" has been accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to craft…

26 minutes ago

Entire police department resigns leaving South Carolina community without law enforcement presence

close Video Town's former police chief explains why entire department resigned Former Geary, Oklahoma, Police…

3 hours ago

Wrong-way driver arrested after striking multiple vehicles, shootout with police officer: ‘He’s got a gun!’

close Video Wrong-way driver caught on video firing rifle at officer at striking multiple vehicles…

3 hours ago

Blinken questioned for State Department hosting in-house therapy sessions after Trump win

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., took aim at Secretary of State Antony Blinken after it was…

3 hours ago

Fetterman admits Dems ‘sort of lost ourselves’ on key election issue

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., acknowledged that Democrats had a major problem when it came to…

5 hours ago

Sanctuary states, cities should explain to DOGE why they deserve federal money: MTG

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Sunday said leaders of sanctuary states and cities should…

5 hours ago