Lawmakers announce bill to stop energy imports from Russia

March 7, 2022

The leaders of the House and Senate committees that oversee trade announced Monday that they had agreed on a bill that would bar imports of Russian energy and suspend normal exchange with Russia and Belarus.

“As Russia continues its unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people, we have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus,” House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.), ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said in a statement obtained by C-SPAN.

“While Congress needs to do more as congressional leaders with jurisdiction over our nation’s trade policy, we are committed to using the tools at our disposal to stop Russia’s unconscionable and unjust war on Ukraine and hold Belarus accountable for its involvement,” they added.

A low-temperature isomerization unit at the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, in the city of Novokuibyshevsk 20 km southwest of Samara — The proposal comes days after Biden imposed more sanctions on Russian oligarchs.

A low-temperature isomerization unit at the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, in the city of Novokuibyshevsk.

A view of the premises of the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, in the city of Novokuibyshevsk 20 km southwest of Samara — The most recent sanctions follow limited penalties announced at the outset of the invasion.

The legislation would reportedly give President Biden the authority to raise tariffs on goods from both countries, as well as require the US Trade Representative to seek the suspension of Russia’s participation in the World Trade Organization.

Get the latest updates in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with The Post’s live coverage.

If the president chooses to restore normal trade relations, they would be “subject to certain conditions and congressional disapproval,” according to Politico.

The proposal comes days after Biden imposed more sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to the deadly invasion of Ukraine that began Feb. 24.

US Senator Mike Crapo speaks before Surgeon General Vivek Murthy tetifies before the Senate Finance Committee on youth mental health, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 8, 2022. — Sen. Mike Crapo speaks on Capitol Hill, February 8, 2022.

Committee chairman Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) questions U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy during a Senate Finance Committee hearing about youth mental health on Capitol Hill on February 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. — Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is the Senate Finance Committee chair.

Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas — Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) was one of the lawmakers who participated in the statement.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., speaks during the America Competes Act event in the Rayburn Room in the Capitol on Friday, February 4, 2022. — Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) speaks during the America Competes Act event in the Rayburn Room in the Capitol on Friday, February 4, 2022.

Announced Thursday, the new sanctions target members of seven families.

“The goal is to maximize the impact on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Russia and minimize the harm and loss to our allies and friends around the world,” Biden said during a cabinet meeting.

“Our interest is in maintaining the strongest unified economic impact campaign on Putin and all of his people,” the president added.

The most recent sanctions follow limited penalties announced at the outset of the invasion against state-owned Russian banks and certain elite businessmen. Biden has also sanctioned Putin’s vast personal wealth and reached an agreement with US allies to unplug Russia from the SWIFT international banking system.