WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) offered a motion during floor debate to immediately consider legislation that would prohibit the sale of oil drawn from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under the control of the Chinese Communist Party or for export to China.

“It is irresponsible and dangerous for the United States to provide a foreign adversary with fuel that we need to keep here in the United States in case of an emergency,” said Congressman Valadao. “It seems the Biden administration is helping to support China’s national security at the expense of our own.”

Every single House Democrat voted no on Rep. Valadao’s motion to put U.S. national security first. 

Remarks as prepared:

I request support from my colleagues on a very simple, straightforward amendment.

This amendment would prohibit the Department of Energy from sending America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve resources to China. Supporting this language is common sense, especially since we need to focus on increasing energy production and not supporting our adversaries while Americans are still suffering from outrageously high fuel prices here at home.

These reserves are meant to be used in emergencies only. They are not meant to be used when our leadership has failed us by unnecessarily restricting domestic energy production.

What is even more concerning is that under the Biden administration, our Strategic Petroleum Reserve supplies have been severely diminished. It does not make sense to me that we are using our already-depleted energy supplies to help China build up its own strategic reserves. 

It is irresponsible and dangerous for the United States to provide a foreign adversary with fuel that we need to keep here in the United States in case of an emergency. It seems the Biden administration is helping to support China’s national security at the expense of our own.

It has been suggested that selling resources from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will help to reduce fuel prices here at home. That is simply not true.

What we should be doing instead is supporting our energy producers here in the United States. We have abundant resources here that can and should be used. We are deliberately holding our country back by overregulating and stifling our domestic energy producers. 

The very last thing we should be doing is sending our precious resources from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. I urge all of my colleagues to support United States national security by supporting this amendment.

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