WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) reintroduced their bipartisan Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act for the 118^th Congress. Their bill would ban China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other sanctioned nations from purchasing oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves; it is the most bipartisan and comprehensive policy solution put forward on this national security issue.

“Every American should be shocked, as I was, to hear there’s a loophole enabling our foreign adversaries to purchase oil from our strategic reserves,” said Houlahan. “Last year when high gas prices were making it harder for families to fill up their tanks, releases from the strategic reserve were meant to ease the financial burden for working families—not potentially end up in the hands those who wish our servicemembers and NATO Allies harm. Closing this loophole requires a congressional fix, which is why I’m proud to partner with fellow veteran Rep. Don Bacon to do exactly that.”

“As the leader of the free world, we need to stand firm against tyrants who wage war on peaceful democracies and abuse their own people, and this includes not selling them oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” said Bacon. “Americans are struggling to fill up their tanks, put food on the table and pay for home energy. We need to look at expanding American innovation and production here at home instead of serving our adversaries who wish to harm America and her allies. Fellow veteran Rep. Houlahan and I joined together on this legislation to protect those reserves.”

They are joined by 41 original cosponsors—7 Republicans and 34 Democrats: Representatives Ami Bera (D-CA), Sanford Bishop Jr. (D-GA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jenniffer González Colón (R-PR), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), William Keating (D-MA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Young Kim (R-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Mike Levin (D-CA), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Scott Peters (D-CA), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bradley Schneider (D-IL), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), David Trone (D-MD), and Susan Wild (D-PA).

Read the full text of the bill here.

Background:

Dating back to 2015, policy changes created a regulatory loophole enabling foreign nations, including U.S. adversaries, to purchase oil released from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves. Last year, reports surfaced that a Chinese-affiliated company was able to purchase American oil, which prompted a question at one of Rep. Houlahan’s town halls. After researching further, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan partnered with Rep. Don Bacon to introduce bipartisan legislation in the 117^th Congress to close this loophole. Their bill in the 117^th Congress, also named the Banning Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act, garnered 37 cosponsors—13 Republicans and 24 Democrats—and was endorsed by the For Country Caucus.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Small Business Committee. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

###