Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 22, Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act, which prevents direct or indirect sales and exports from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party. This legislation was led by Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Western Caucus Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05).

Over the past two years, the Biden Administration has drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its lowest level since 1983 while actively stifling American energy development, effectively crippling our economic and national security. Worse still, the Biden Administration sold oil from our strategic reserves to the Chinese Communist Party, an adversarial nation, which now has the largest government-controlled reserve of oil in the world.

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant for emergencies like war and natural disasters­­—not to strengthen our adversaries,” said Chairman Newhouse (WA-04). “This bill will protect America’s resources and ensure we can continue to meet our current and future energy leads, and I congratulate Chairwoman Rodgers on its passage through the House.”

“To cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden is draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves at an alarming rate. America’s SPR–once the world’s largest stockpile–have been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983. To date, President Biden has released more from the SPR than all U.S. presidents in history combined. Millions of barrels of that oil have gone to China, which now has the world’s largest government-controlled stockpile of oil,” said Chairwoman Rodgers (WA-05). “Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling it to China is a significant threat to our national and energy security. This must be stopped, which is why I’m proud to join my Republican colleagues in passing H.R. 22, one of the most bipartisan votes on an energy bill in many years and multiple congresses. There’s more to come. This is just the beginning.”

Read the full text of the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves from China Act here.

The bill was passed with the support of the entire Western Caucus.