Bill to Ban Sales of U.S. Petroleum to China Passes House with Bipartisan Support

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today released the following statement on the passage of H.R.22, the Protecting America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act, of which she is an original cosponsor. The bill passed the House today with overwhelming bipartisan support. The final vote was 331 to 97.

"It adds insult to injury that while Americans face crushing gas prices, heating costs, and electric bills, President Biden sold nearly one million barrels of our precious petroleum reserves to Communist China. This is unacceptable and I'm proud of today's bipartisan passage of this bill prohibiting such sales. Protecting our Strategic Petroleum Reserves and unleashing our full domestic energy potential must be a priority of this Congress to protect our national security and provide economic relief for American families and businesses. I hope today's bipartisan success sets a much-needed tone for the rest of the year that this new Congress will work together to put America's interests first."

H.R.22 prohibits the sale and export of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to China. Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Energy (DOE) from selling petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) from the SPR to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of the Chinese Communist Party. Further, DOE must require as a condition of any sale of crude oil from the SPR that the oil not be exported to China.