US Politics

Senate Republican leaders introduce bills restricting Biden’s SPR authority as WH threatens veto

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced two bills to restrict President Biden's authority on Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican leaders on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led by Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced companion bills of House legislation targeting President Biden’s use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

The first bill, the Secure Auction for Energy Reserves Act which Barrasso introduced with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, would prohibit the federal government from selling SPR stocks to China and other countries of particular concern. Earlier this month, the House passed similar legislation, the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act, by a margin of 331-97.

“China is profiting from President Biden’s political abuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” Barrasso said in a statement. “Meanwhile, America has become more vulnerable to true energy and national security emergencies.” 

“Our legislation will ban SPR sales to China and other hostile nations,” he continued. “It will also ban SPR sales to state-owned companies which purchase oil from Russia, Iran, and other nations the U.S. has sanctioned. Adversaries cannot be allowed to benefit from America’s security reserve.”

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Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced two bills to restrict President Biden’s authority on Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases.
(Associated Press)

Collins added that it is “inexcusable that our emergency stockpile of crude oil is being sold to dictators overseas.” She said legislation was necessary to ensure Americans primarily benefit from future SPR releases.

Over the summer, the Biden administration was heavily criticized after reports that it had sold SPR oil to China which reportedly used the stocks to bolster its own reserves. The White House then fired back, saying it was legally required to sell the oil to the highest bidder.

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The second legislation Senate Republicans introduced Tuesday, the Strategic Production Response Act, would require the Department of Energy to only tap the SPR when there is a severe energy supply interruption and not until the Interior Department issues a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters.

“America is stronger and safer when we are energy independent,”…

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