The new Republican-led House of Representatives is already making waves. They’re targeting some of the hottest political topics in the country right now, and that includes the energy issue.

With the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the cost of oil has been in constant flux, and Americans saw disturbingly high prices in 2022. It was even more frustrating to see our oil reserves go to other countries.

But the GOP has had enough — especially in regards to one Communist superpower.

House Republicans voted this week to stop the exporting of crude oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to China.

Last year, economic and political experts alike slammed the Biden administration selling almost a million barrels of oil to China. It came at a time when U.S. citizens were being hammered by high gas prices.

But now, right-wing and left-wing politicos alike are pushing back. And this bill is a direct result of that.

Via The Daily Wire:

More than 100 Democrats joined their GOP counterparts, who raised concerns last year about the Biden administration selling nearly a million barrels from the reserve to a Chinese state-controlled crude giant.

The final tally for the ‘Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act’ was 331-97. Six members did not vote, according to the House clerk.

In the end, it the voting wasn’t even close: both Republicans and Democrats seemed to agree that this practice needs to stop.

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who was responsible for introducing the bill, said it was “one of the most bipartisan votes on an energy bill” ever.

Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming consensus, the bill isn’t expected to be taken up by the Senate.

The Senate remains under control of Democrats (51-49), which will undoubtedly be a roadblock for any new Republican-introduced bills moving forward.

However, the bill clearly has a ton of support on Capitol Hill, and it’s likely that many hard-working Americans will support it as well. The legislation reads in part:

The energy secretary … is prohibited from drawing down or selling petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve ‘to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of’ China’s Communist Party ‘except on the condition that such petroleum products will not be exported to the People’s Republic of China.’

Biden’s draining of the reserves faced a ton of backlash last year, and the sale of some of that oil to China prompted immediate concern among Republicans.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, the GOP said this oil could potentially be used by China to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is the sort of thing that just has to stop.

Said McMorris Rodgers in a statement on Thursday:

To cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden is draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves at an alarming rate.

America’s SPR — once the world’s largest stockpile — have been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983.

To date, President Biden has released more from the SPR than all U.S. presidents in history combined. Millions of barrels of that oil have gone to China, which now has the world’s largest government-controlled stockpile of oil.

Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling it to China is a significant threat to our national and energy security.

Americans have become more wary of China’s position on the world stage in recent years, and there’s a reason why certain governors are banning Tik-Tok from state official devices.

And when it comes to oil and energy, many still slam the Biden administration for refusing to allow the U.S. to create its own oil.

Under former President Donald Trump, the country had become nearly 100% energy-independent, and many critics say that if we’d stayed in that position, we wouldn’t be feeling such pain now.

Key Takeaways:

• The House passed a bill that would ban exports of oil from our reserves to China.
• The measure passed easily and it was called one of the most “bipartisan votes on an energy bill ever.”
• The GOP slammed the Biden administration for shipping nearly 1M barrels of oil to China in 2022, and notes that our reserves are at the lowest point in 40 years.

Source: The Daily Wire

Ben Dutka

Ben S. Dutka is a journalist, writer and editor with over two decades of experience. He has worked with three newspapers and eight online publications, and he has also won a Connecticut short story contest entitled Art as Muse, Imaginary Realms. He has a penchant for writing, rowing, reading, video games, and Objectivism.

Ben S. Dutka is a journalist, writer and editor with over two decades of experience. He has worked with three newspapers and eight online publications, and he has also won a Connecticut short story contest entitled Art as Muse, Imaginary Realms. He has a penchant for writing, rowing, reading, video games, and Objectivism.