Pelosi says she's 'all for' banning Russian oil imports

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made quite clear on Thursday where she stands regarding the prospect of a Russian oil embargo.

"I'm all for that. Ban it," Pelosi said in response to a question as to her stance on the issue. "Ban the oil coming from Russia, yeah."

Pelosi is just the latest addition to what Politico calls a "growing chorus" of Democrats urging President Biden to ban Russian oil imports as punishment for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

For example, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are introducing oil embargo legislation, in service of calls from "dozens of lawmakers" on both sides of the aisle.

Of course, such a ban could raise already-high U.S. gas prices — which would be bad news for Democrats and Biden, who are "battling nationwide inflation worries," writes Politico.

Biden himself hasn't explicitly ruled out an embargo, but White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre downplayed the idea on Wednesday, alluding to pain at the pump.

Pelosi, however, argued that "the issue of the price of gas and the price of oil is directly related" to the Russian invasion, Politico reports. Not to mention, U.S. consumers needing to pay more doesn't exactly hold a candle to the death and destruction happening in Ukraine at the moment.