Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.) blasted President Biden on Tuesday for failing to include oil and gas exports in his sanctions against Russia, The Associated Press reported.
Per AP, Portman slammed Biden for increasing America's dependence on Russian oil after "shut[ting] down the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have transported tens of thousands of barrels each day from Canada to U.S. refineries."
Stitt sent a letter to Biden, in which he wrote that "we should be selling energy to our friends and not buying it from our enemies."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Last month, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin has "never seen sanctions like the ones I promised will be imposed" if he ordered an invasion of Ukraine. So far, U.S. sanctions have blocked several large Russian banks, restricted the country's sale of sovereign debt abroad, and targeted Russia's oligarchs and their families.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Monday that U.S. companies had not been banned from importing oil and gas from Russia, though she said the administration hasn't "ruled out" such a policy.
According to BBC, oil and gas provided 39 percent of Russia's federal budget revenue and accounted for 60 percent of Russian exports in 2019.
-
5 snappily written cartoons about vanishing food stamp benefitsCartoons Artists take on SNAP recipients, Halloween generosity, and more
-
The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends Viewers can binge on most anything, including espionage and the formation of parliamentary coalitions
-
Sudan stands on the brink of another national schismThe Explainer With tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, one of Africa’s most severe outbreaks of sectarian violence is poised to take a dramatic turn for the worse
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
