Andrew Clyde: “The Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act has a great name, but the bill doesn't live up to its name. Let me just…”

“The Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act has a great name, but the bill doesn't live up to its name. Let me just read a little from the text because it is the text that matters. On page 2, ``Prohibition of Energy Products'': This bill bans nothing until 45 days after enactment. Ukraine doesn't have 45 days. Under section 2(a)(2), titled ``Authority to Allow Importation Under Contract'': Why are we even having this section when the idea was to ban Russian oil, not to allow importation? It states: ``The President may allow certain products . . . to be imported into the United States . . . pursuant to a written contract . . . that was entered into before the date of enactment of this act.'' So the bold statement from paragraph 1, that all oil products from the Russian Federation shall be banned from importation, just got eviscerated and shot full of holes. It is leakier than a sieve because every barrel of oil coming into the United States is covered under a contract, so every barrel is exempted for the length of the contract. No business makes millions of dollars of purchases without a contract. This bill is smoke and mirrors intent on deceiving the American people that the Democrat majority and the Biden administration are doing something bold when, in reality, it is a false start and a penalty on the field. {time} 2000”