Last week, U.S. Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, and Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, introduced the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act to block President Donald Trump’s deal to buy Russian oil and affirm support for Ukraine, a news release announced.
“This legislation is the result of the administration announcing a deal to issue new waivers which authorize importing Russian diesel, despite a bipartisan federal law enacted in 2022 prohibiting Russian oil imports. The president’s deal directly undermines the will of Congress, which acted decisively in 2022 to block oil revenue that Putin used to fund his fascist war on Ukraine,” Gluesenkamp Perez stated in the release.
Specifically, the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act would:
• Nullify the Treasury Department's Russian oil waiver, immediately rendering General License 135 ineffective and prohibiting future waivers or general licenses authorizing the importation of Russian energy products.
• Strengthen enforcement of the existing import ban by prohibiting the Treasury Department from expending funds on agreements that violate the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act of 2022.
• Reinforce critical intelligence support for Ukraine, requiring relevant intelligence agencies to provide support for Ukraine's defense and notify congressional intelligence committees within 24 hours of any interruption.
“The president’s dirty deal to import Russian oil is running roughshod over our national interests and the bipartisan will of Congress and a bipartisan 2022 law explicitly banning the import of Russian oil. We won’t turn a blind eye to that,” Gluesenkamp Perez said in the release. “This bill will rein in this reckless deal and make clear that my community doesn’t want any part of funding Putin’s fascist war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks terrorizing families in the Donbas. If the President is serious about bringing down gas prices, he should end the war in Iran, not send our tax dollars to Putin.”
