Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) announced Saturday he would introduce bipartisan legislation to block any purchases of Russian oil, aiming to stop President Trump from lifting sanctions on Russian oil amid global fuel shortages.
Fitzpatrick wrote on social media the measure would be called the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act,” though it was unclear who the Democratic sponsors would be. He said he would force a vote through a discharge petition and believes it will overwhelmingly pass. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) wrote that he had agreed to be an original cosponsor and that “Congress must make a stand.”
Trump’s deal announced Friday permits Russia to supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and the global marketplace, and Moscow has confirmed readiness to supply oil and petroleum to U.S. and global markets in a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin carried by Russian state media.
The agreement drew criticism from both parties. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned it signaled Russia could keep attacking, while Trump told reporters outside the White House that Zelensky could have settled the war but chose not to. Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote that paying Putin for oil after signing a law to ramp up sanctions was profit, not punishment. Congress in 2022 passed a ban on Russian oil imports with an exception allowing imports already purchased or deemed in the national interest.