Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her caucus Tuesday that the House will still proceed with a vote this week to ban Russian oil imports despite pending executive action by President Joe Biden.
The House is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday afternoon on a bill that would ban Russia imports of oil and other energy products. It’s a remarkably fast timeline, with senior Democrats still racing to finish drafting the bill as of late Tuesday morning.
The legislation is an attempt to “to try to persuade, and indeed, to force Putin to stop and desist from the carnage and criminal behavior” in Ukraine, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday.
Hoyer predicted the bill would be “passed in a bipartisan way” but said precise details are still being worked out.
The White House has shifted its position on an ban on Russian oil imports to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine. Just days ago the White House was rejecting the move out of fear that an import ban would send U.S. gas prices skyrocketing. But bipartisan support for the action in both the House and the Senate in recent days has helped drive a shift in Biden’s stance.
Pelosi informed colleagues that the House will vote on a Russian oil import ban as part of a larger package of measures designed to help Ukraine in its fight to fend off the Russian attack, according to a Democratic aide. The aide said the White House had been suggesting for days it would act but was only now proceeding after pressure from Congress.
It’s less clear if the Senate plans to vote on legislation pushed by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would block Russian oil. Although the measure has strong support, Senate procedures make it difficult for the chamber to move quickly, which could make action there moot.
“If we were to loiter on something like this, our inactivity could be viewed or spun to be division,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
The U.K. is also expected to announce its own ban on the import of Russian oil later Tuesday, according to three Whitehall officials.
Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.
