relationship issues
Biden says there will be 'consequences' for Saudi Arabia's decision to cut oil output
President Biden is planning to reevaluate the U.S.' relationship with Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ announced it would cut oil production targets. The Saudi-led coalition, which also includes Russia, announced last week that it would cut its oil output by two million barrels a day, thus driving up prices in the U.S., The Washington Post reports.
Biden has spent extensive time pressing Saudi Arabia to increase oil output given the strain on resources caused by Russia's war on Ukraine. He personally met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a two-hour meeting back in July. OPEC+ made the announcement despite U.S. officials lobbying against the decision. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the decision was considered from a purely economic standpoint and was made unanimously by the coalition's member states, Reuters reports.
But the move was viewed as a direct shot at the president, thus pushing Congress to suggest a reconsideration of the Saudi Arabia-U.S. relationship, the Post continues. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for the U.S. to freeze any and all cooperation with Saudi Arabia, reports Reuters.
A reevaluation has yet to occur, said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby; however, Biden is "willing to discuss this relationship with members of Congress."
"There's going to be some consequences for what they've done, with Russia," Biden told CNN Tuesday. "I'm not going to get into what I'd consider and what I have in mind. But there will be ... consequences."