Rep. Cori Bush explained her decision to vote against the House bill to ban Russian oil.
Bush said the bill “fails to address the underlying problem.”
Last month, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would target “the main artery of Russia’s economy” by banning the import of Russian energy products.
“We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Biden said from the White House at the time. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.”
Seventeen lawmakers voted against the ban—including just two Democrats—Bush and Ilhan Omar.
“It fails to address the underlying problem of imposing sanctions that are not accompanied with a clear diplomatic process for de-escalation, incentives for a ceasefire, and a condition of withdrawal of Russian military forces in Ukraine,” said Bush, adding that a statutory ban is “being used to justify even more dangerous drilling at home and increased imports from other authoritarian governments like Saudi Arabia.”
Bush was in favor of House resolution H.Res 956, which strongly condemned Putin’s invasion and “affirmed the United States’ support.”
“I am also proud to have supported swift action by Congress to provide billions of dollars in humanitarian aid to help the millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine – this is vital funding that will save lives,” she added. “I support sanctions that target the murderous Putin regime, Russian oligarchs, and corporate fossil fuel executives profiting off human suffering.”
On Thursday, the Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on Russian tech companies in a bid to cut off Russia’s central bank, financial institutions and oligarchs from the global financial system.
“Russia not only continues to violate the sovereignty of Ukraine with its unprovoked aggression, but also has escalated its attacks striking civilians and population centers,” Treasury secretary, Janet L. Yellen, said in a statement. “We will continue to target Putin’s war machine with sanctions from every angle until this senseless war of choice is over.”
