As Gas Prices Soar, Ernst Joins Effort to Protect America’s Oil Reserve, Block Biden’s Sales to China, Russia, Iran
After Biden sent five million barrels of oil from the nation’s emergency petroleum reserve to foreign adversaries, the Iowa senator is joining an effort to put a stop to it.
WASHINGTON— As Americans watch gas prices continue to climb, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined her colleagues in introducing the No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act to protect crude oil reserves that are sold from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SRP) from being exported to America’s adversaries.
The effort comes after President Biden released five million barrels of the nation’s emergency petroleum reserve overseas – to countries like China – while Americans face historic inflation and record high fuel costs at home.
“While President Biden continues to block American energy production and refuses to relieve Iowans’ pain at the pump, he’s handing over millions of barrels of oil from our own emergency supply to the likes of Communist China,” said Senator Ernst. “It is absolutely abhorrent that our president continues to put the needs of the American people last, especially at a time when our adversaries have much to gain.”
The No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act would block future SPR auctions from selling oil to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. It permits a waiver for national security reasons, and requires the Department of Energy to report the destination of exported oil from recent SPR auctions.
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