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The House passed legislation late Wednesday that aims to ban Russian energy imports to the U.S. and give the president greater authority to sanction the Kremlin over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act, which passed the House with a strong bipartisan vote of 414-17, would ban all Russian energy imports to the United States, an extension of President Joe Biden‘s executive order signed into law Tuesday which cut off the U.S. supply of Russian oil, natural gas and coal.
“The Russian regime relies on energy sales to fund many of its offenses,” said Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman.
“This bill will cut off some of that revenue,” he said. “The more economic pain we inflict on Putin, the more pressure he will feel to finally end this campaign of terror on the Ukrainian people.”
Three percent of U.S. imports of crude oil came from Russia in 2021, according to the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, a trade group for the refining industry. That sum trailed imports from Canada (61 percent of oil imports), Mexico (10 percent), and Saudi Arabia (6 percent).
If passed by the Senate, the legislation would also expand the scope of the Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, existing law that lays out guidelines for levying international sanctions against a person or country who violates human rights or engages in substantial corruption.
Another provision of the bill is aimed at reviewing Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization, the multinational group that regulates trade between member nations, often with reduced tariffs.
While the U.S. alone does not have the authority to kick Russia out of the World Trade Organization, the House bill asks other countries in the organization to suspend their trade agreements and tariff discounts with Russia and will require a review of Russia’s membership in the organization.
“Membership is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and bad actors who destabilize global security should not enjoy the economic benefits of belonging to that body,” Representative Richard Neal said on the House floor Wednesday night.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi applauded the bipartisan legislation, which passed immediately after the House approved more than $13 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.
“The United States does not need to choose between defending our democratic values and protecting our economic interests. On a bipartisan and bicameral basis, the Congress will continue to work with the Administration to take every potential action to limit the costs of Putin’s aggression on American families,” Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers Tuesday.
