Tipsheet

House Republicans Demand Biden Administration Reverse Decision to Waive Sanctions on Russian Pipeline

Madeline Leesman
Madeline Leesman  |  June 08, 2021 4:00 PM

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.

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