House Speaker Nancy Pelosi informed House Democrats that the caucus was exploring legislation to end trade relations with Russia and Belarus in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The speaker said in a dear colleague letter to fellow Democrats that this legislation would be considered alongside the Biden administration’s request for $10bn in “humanitarian, military and economic support” for Ukraine. This comes after members of Congress met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The request comes as Congress attempts to pass an omnibus spending bill for the duration of the fiscal year of 2022. But Congress is headed toward a looming deadline as the government runs out of money on 11 March, which would trigger a government shutdown.
“In addition, the House is currently exploring strong legislation that will further isolate Russia from the global economy,” she said. “Our bill would ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States, repeal normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, and take the first step to deny Russia access to the World Trade Organization. We would also empower the Executive branch to raise tariffs on Russian imports.”
Ms Pelosi endorsed banning Russian-imported oil in her news conference last week. But the White House pushed back, saying it was not interested in limiting the supply of oil.
“Let me be clear: the United States need not choose between our democratic values and our economic interests,” Ms Pelosi wrote in her letter. “The Administration and the Congress remain laser-focused on bringing down the higher energy costs for American families and our partners stemming from Putin’s invasion.”
The House was expected to reconvene on Monday, with the first votes for the week expected to occur in the evening.
“With the West’s carefully coordinated effort to sequence sanctions on Russia and mitigate for the costs of these efforts, we are standing up for our values abroad while protecting our families at home,” she said.
