Biden Hasn’t Decided Whether He Would Sign Bill Banning Russian Oil Imports
President Biden hasn’t decided whether he would sign legislation to ban Russian oil imports into the U.S. if Congress sends the bill to his desk, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
WASHINGTON, TGO: President Biden hasn’t decided whether he would sign legislation to ban Russian oil imports into the U.S. if Congress sends the bill to his desk, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“The president has not made a decision at this point in time,” she told reporters at the White House when asked about bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate to pass a bill banning Russian oil imports.
Ms. Psaki said the U.S. is also weighing executive action to ban Russian oil imports, but said Mr. Biden hadn’t yet decided whether to move forward on such a policy. The president and his advisers have said they want to avoid taking steps that could further raise gasoline prices for Americans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and other senior Democrats in Congress have endorsed the ban, putting pressure on Mr. Biden to act.
Ms. Psaki also confirmed that U.S. officials had discussed energy issues during a trip to Venezuela to meet with top officials in the country. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the Biden administration is seeking to ease oil sanctions on Venezuela as part of a broader U.S. strategy to temper the rise in oil prices that has occurred in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The purpose of the trip that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues including certainly energy, energy security, but also to discuss the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens,” she said. ‘We’re never going to miss an opportunity to do exactly that.”
The White House again pushed back on calls to increase domestic oil production in response to high oil and gasoline prices.
“The suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate,” Ms. Pskai said, calling on oil companies to tap unused oil leases and noting that the U.S. remains a major producer of oil. “The suggestion that that is what is hindering or preventing gas prices to come down is inaccurate.”
Mr. Biden has taken steps to shift the U.S. away from fossil fuels in the coming years as part of an effort to address climate change.
