On Monday, more than sixty Republican representatives sent a letter to President Biden urging him to reverse his decision to lift sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which would directly supply Germany with Russian gas.
Nord Stream 2, which began construction in 2016, would be an extensive, offshore natural gas pipeline directly from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. In May, President Biden waived sanctions previously placed during the Trump administration to slow the development of the pipeline. The letter, led by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-LA), also has support from House GOP leadership including Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Signatory Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA) issued a statement calling out President Biden's decision:
“American energy should be the president’s first priority. Instead, this administration has consistently put America last, dismantling our energy infrastructure while granting its approval of pipelines abroad. President Biden needs to stand firm by the sanctions Congress imposed and take immediate action to correct course. Waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2 is a weak political move by the current administration at the expense of American domestic energy and national security.”
The House Republicans' letter to Biden comes days after Rep. Keller introduced a bill known as the Protecting Our Wellbeing by Expanding Russian Sanctions Act or the POWERS Act, which would reinstate sanctions on the pipeline. This comes just weeks after Keller publicly called out President Biden’s “America last” agenda, specifically in regards to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and American jobs. In a statement on May 21, Keller said:
“One of Joe Biden’s first moves as president was to undermine American energy independence by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and the thousands of good-paying jobs it supported. Now, less than two weeks removed from a Russian cyberattack that crippled the American energy supply chain and led to fuel shortages up and down the East Coast, President Biden caved to Vladimir Putin, granting Russia his approval to move forward with its pipeline project. This hypocrisy illustrates just how little the Biden administration cares about American energy independence, good-paying jobs, and affordable energy. President Biden is not anti-pipeline, just anti-American pipeline.”
Several lawmakers have chimed in on Twitter regarding the letter, urging President Biden to reimpose sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
President Biden has routinely put Russian energy security ahead of American energy independence. Glad to join this @HouseGOP letter to @POTUS urging him to reconsider his decision to waive sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline ?? https://t.co/jNz98eIIKh
— Markwayne Mullin (@RepMullin) June 8, 2021
Joe Biden halted American production of the Keystone XL pipeline, threatening American energy independence while waiving sanctions, set by President Trump, on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline. #BidenBan
— Rep. Doug Lamborn (@RepDLamborn) June 8, 2021
Which of these sounds like Russian collusion to you?
Read more below. ?? https://t.co/Q6JJtoDYGh
America must not prioritize foreign energy over domestic energy. Biden is giving Putin and his cronies a gift by waiving sanctions to allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to proceed, after halting construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
— Rick W. Allen (@RepRickAllen) June 8, 2021
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