腾讯
Republicans Slam Biden For Allowing SPR Oil To Be Shipped Overseas_我的网站
一 | After a report came out Wednesday revealing that 5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) had been sent to Asian and European countries, Republicans have been slamming President Biden for the mistake.,In late March, Biden announced that he was releasing 1 million barrels a day from the SPR for eight months, in an attempt to lower fuel prices for Americans that have been skyrocketing since the West issued harsh sanctions on Russia.,But, according to the report, instead of going to U.S. refineries, 5 million barrels of crude oil went to other countries, including China.,"The American people deserve answers as to why our emergency energy reserves are being sent to foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party, compromising our energy security and national security," stated House Energy and Commerce Committee Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers in a statement to Fox News Digital.,Meanwhile, Michigan Representative Fred Upton, also a Republican, tweeted on Thursday that "The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant for national emergencies – not policy blunders,” while noting that the administration still has not answered his and McMorris Rodgers’ letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm asking about how Biden’s release of the SPR may be emboldening China. That letter was sent in early June, before the report of the missing 5 million barrels was released by Reuters.,"What do they have to hide?" McMorris Rodgers asked when speaking about the letter.,Instead of tapping the SPR, Republicans would prefer Biden authorize increased domestic production of oil.,"President Biden needs to remember that our strategic energy reserves are for emergencies, not to cover up bad policies. America needs to flip the switch and increase our capacity to produce and refine oil here at home," McMorris Rodgers stated. "Now is not the time to use our strategic stockpile.",The SPR is currently at its lowest level since December 1985.,“After multiple failed attempts to lower U.S. gas prices by robbing our emergency strategic petroleum reserve, will someone please inform the decision makers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that we have much larger and more strategic undeveloped energy resources that can be extracted, processed, and utilized cleaner and safer right here at home benefiting American workers and businesses?" Bruise Westerman, a Republican representative from Arkansas told Fox News Digital.,Meanwhile, U.S. crude inventories have reached their lowest levels since 2004, even as refineries are running near their peak capacity. According to Reuters, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries are running at 97.9% utilization.,At a press conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she was not aware of the report. At Thursday’s press conference, Jean-Pierre did not address the report but did she call Biden tapping the SPR “historic” and mentioned the administration’s call to issue a holiday on federal taxes on gasoline.。
二 |
The US Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would impose sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, a measure that had long been championed by the late senator Lindsey Graham before his death last month, CNBC reported. A Chinese expert criticized the legislation, warning that if implemented, the bill, driven largely by political motives aimed at catering to US domestic political correctness, could severely disrupt the already fragile global energy market and economy. He also noted that the bill is essentially a tool of political coercion, weaponizing tariffs and unilateral sanctions to hijack normal global energy trade and override sovereign economic choices of independent nations.
The legislation, named The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, aims to hurt Russia's war effort in Ukraine by penalizing purchasers of Russian oil and Russian leaders. It passed with bipartisan support 86-11 and will now proceed to the House, which is on recess until September, per CNBC.
The bill would impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that are among the top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or gas, which includes China and India.
It also includes sanctions targeting Russian leaders, officials, targeting Russian leaders, oligarchs and financial institutions. At the request of US President Donald Trump, the bill extends sanctions on Iran's weapons and energy sectors, CNBC reported.
Notably, the bill's excessive tariff discretion has sparked fierce internal doubts within US political circles. Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Don Beyer of Virginia said in a statement they still had "fundamental concerns" about the tariff powers for the president, who has made them a central piece of his "America First" approach to foreign policy.
"What the bill does grant ... are sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponize with abandon, as he has repeatedly done in the past," said Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Beyer, the senior Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, according to Reuters.
Chinese experts have strongly criticized the bill's politically driven nature, its economic coercion, and its severe spillover risks to the global economy.
The bill, aimed at putting pressure on Russia, would disrupt global energy markets and create new uncertainties for the world economy if implemented, Yang Jin, associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Many economies retain legitimate, market-based energy cooperation with Russia out of practical economic and energy security needs. Russia's energy exports have long been a key component of the global energy system, with countries including India and some European nations continuing to rely on Russian oil and gas, said Yang, noting that even some European countries have received exemptions to maintain energy imports from Russia, underscoring the role of Russian supplies in supporting economic stability.
India's reliance on Russian crude increased further after the conflict in West Asia disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. With Gulf supplies affected during the US war on Iran, Indian refiners turned more heavily towards Russian oil as an alternative source, Indian media Hindustan Times reported on Saturday after US Senate passed the bill.
When asked about the bill on July 15, Lin Jian, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and will take necessary measures to firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses and citizens.
Practicing double standards and resorting to coercion and pressuring will eventually prove to be self-defeating, said Lin.
Yang further pointed out that the push for the bill, labeled after Lindsey Graham, who was known as one of the toughest Russia hawks in Washington, lays bare Washington's distorted domestic political logic.
The legislation, which represents another typical case of US hegemonic long-arm jurisdiction, is largely designed to ease US domestic governance pressure. As the Trump administration fails to deliver substantive progress in de-escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict as promised, ramping up external sanctions and forcing third-party sovereign countries into abandoning normal economic and trade cooperation has become a convenient political tool for US politicians to showcase tough posturing and ease domestic pressure, Yang said.
。
三 |
Current article:http://4evvo.shangfochengcongshuaizhuang.buzz/news/20260826_159.html
Published on:18:33:14
