Comer, Franklin, Oversight Republicans Blast President Biden’s Plans to Obtain Oil From Foreign Dictators
WASHINGTON — Today, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.), Representative Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), and Oversight Committee Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken requesting a member-level briefing and all information on the Biden administration’s plans to obtain oil from Iran, Venezuela, and other hostile foreign countries instead of encouraging energy production in the United States. The Republican lawmakers express concerns about the Biden administration’s plans to rely on foreign dictators and autocrats instead of expanding domestic energy production to become energy independent.
“We are conducting oversight of the Biden administration’s plan to buy oil from foreign dictators and autocrats instead of relying on American energy producers,” wrote the lawmakers. “It is now more critical than ever to ensure the United States has the production capacity to protect our interests. Many European countries became overly reliant on Russian and Venezuelan energy after prematurely moving away from fossil fuels. The United States simply cannot follow this path. As such, we request a member-level briefing on the Biden administration’s plans to obtain oil from hostile foreign countries instead of encouraging energy production in the United States.”
Nearly two weeks after the initial Russian invasion, President Biden issued an Executive Order prohibiting the import of oil and gas from Russia. House and Senate Republicans have repeatedly called on President Biden to ban Russian imports. Now that the administration has finally implemented this policy, lawmakers are concerned about the Biden administration’s desire to buy oil from Venezuela and Iran rather than encourage the expansion of American energy production, emphasizing that President Biden’s opposition to domestic energy production has been clear since he took office.
“American citizens have a right to know what actions the State Department has undertaken to import energy from dictatorial states, rather than expanding domestic energy production. This administration’s opposition to domestic oil and gas production has been clear since President Biden took office,” continued the lawmakers. “Trading the imports from one irrational and unpredictable dictatorial regime to another is not sound foreign policy. When the United States previously unleashed its energy production capacity, we saw that our country can provide enough energy resources for ourselves and our allies. While the lessons of the handling of the crisis in Ukraine are still being learned, one is clear: energy security is national security. The United States must position itself as the major global energy producer. Revisiting America’s relationship with maligned dictators will do nothing to bolster our own production capacity or solidify our national security and the security of our allies. It is imperative that we have a better understanding of the Biden administration’s plan for the United States to rely on foreign oil and gas imports to the detriment of domestic sources.”
The letter can be found here.