Earlier this Week, the Congresswoman Voted with Republicans & Democrats to Establish New Committee to Reduce U.S. Reliance on China, Strengthen American Competitiveness, & Combat Chinese Communist Party Aggression

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger yesterday voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House to pass legislation that would ban the United States from sending Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) gas to the Chinese Communist Party.

After the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo of 1973 – 1974, Congress created the SPR to insulate Americans from global oil supply disruptions. Today, the SPR is the world’s largest emergency supply of crude oil.

Spanberger voted in support of the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act, which would block the U.S. Department of Energy from selling SPR products to the Chinese Communist Party and its associated entities. The Spanberger-backed legislation is led by U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA-05).

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant to benefit the American people and the American economy — not the Chinese Communist Party. In this moment when global energy markets remain uncertain and volatile, we need to recognize the ongoing need to protect families in Virginia and across the country from the return of debilitatingly high gas prices,” said Spanberger. “This week, I was glad to see Democrats and Republicans working together to bring more American control to the domestic energy market and keep prices down. Going forward, I’ll continue to prioritize reducing our dependence on foreign oil, putting power back in the hands of the American consumer, and boosting domestic energy production — including through clean energy infrastructure and jobs.”

Earlier this week, Spanberger voted to establish the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the CCP.

BACKGROUND

Spanberger has long supported responsible use of the SPR to help lower gas prices for Virginia consumers — not lower gas prices for the Chinese Communist Party.

Following a November 2021 push from Spanberger to boost domestic supply and put downward pressure on prices, President Joe Biden announced plans to release oil from the SPR. And in February 2022, she successfully called on the Biden Administration to provide additional relief through the SPR, following the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, Spanberger helped introduce the Buy Low and Sell High Act, which would prohibit barrels stored within the SPR from being exported or sold to entities owned, controlled, or influenced by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or any other country under U.S. sanctions. The legislation would also double domestic reserves of home heating oil — which thousands of households across Virginia rely on to stay warm during the winter months.

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