Some United States lawmakers are moving to pull the plug on President Donald Trump’s reversal on Russian oil embargo after a deal between Washington and Russia.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, announced he would present a cross-party bill aimed at stopping the U.S. government from lifting sanctions.
“We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil,” the former FBI Special Agent wrote on X on Saturday.
Fitzpatrick said the bill, named the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act,” will be “forced to the Floor via discharge and will pass overwhelmingly.”
Reacting to the post, Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, said he has agreed to be “an original cosponsor,” urging Congress to take a stand.
Democrats are furious about the Trump administration’s u-turn on Russian oil, with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) accusing Trump of making a “deal with the devil” to help his “flailing political fortunes.”
In a statement, the Senate Minority Leader said the deal will only aid and abet Putin, “who is helping the Iranians to target and try to kill American troops and who illegally invaded our ally Ukraine.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Armed Services committees, urged the president to “rescind this agreement immediately.”
The lawmaker said the attempt to mitigate the havoc caused by Trump’s “illegal war in Iran” will only benefit the Chinese and Russian economies and “lead to the slaughter of more innocents in Ukraine.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia), the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, recalled previous warning that “Trump isn’t the slightest bit trustworthy when it comes to Russia.”
The former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland added that giving the President expanded tariff powers in hopes he would use them to help Ukraine was a mistake.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told TASS that up to 1 million tons of diesel coud be exported by December, predicting exports might eventually reach 3 million tons per month.