Who would have thought!
This week saw something very few Americans thought would be possible: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) agree on a vote.
This week’s bipartisan vote to pass a ban on Russian oil imports only had defections from 17 House lawmakers, unifying the far left and far right at an unlikely point.
15 Republicans who registered their opposition were joined by two progressives δΈ€ Omar and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.).
Elaborating on her reason for her opposition to the bill, Omar said the ban would result in a “devastating impact” on the people of Europe and Russia. But, she also relayed her doubts that the ban would impact the Kremlin leaders waging war.
The GOP opposers revealed they opposed because of the negative ramifications Americans would face at the gas pumps if Russian oil imports are banned. The GOP side also voiced concern that the ban would make America more reliant on other dictator-led, oil-rich nations like Venezuala to fill in the gap.
Taking to Twitter, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY.) explained why he opposed the legislation, to which Greene replied, “At least there are two of us who refuse to allow Biden to hurt Americans suffering from rapidly rising gas prices.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL.) shared similar views as his colleagues, arguing in an op-ed in The National Pulse that banning Russian oil “will make Americans poorer and less safe,” before adding that his “compassion for Ukrainians won’t force my hand to hurt my own people.”
But the vote demonstrated the lack of opposition to the Russian oil ban strategy, with 414 lawmakers voting in favor of it.
The bill also authorizes sanctions for Russia’s human rights abuses and encourages a review of Moscow’s access to the World Trade Organization.
The overall consensus among lawmakers reflects the public sentiment that sanctions on Moscow are the best way to handle the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with a Wall Street Journal poll earlier this week showing 79 percent of Americans agree with a Russian oil ban.
