Treasury just ignored it
On April 8, 2022, Congress passed the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act (Public Law 117-109) with overwhelming bipartisan support. It bans the import of Russian crude, diesel, LNG, and coal into the United States. The law also specifies how the ban ends: the President certifies to Congress that Russia has ended its war on terms Ukraine accepts, and Congress has 90 days to object.
None of that has happened. Now the war continues with Treasury's help.
On October 9, after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, the Treasury's sanctions office issued General License 135. It authorizes the import of Russian diesel into the United States until April 2027.
Here is why every American should care.
It sidesteps the law. Congress wrote the only way to lift this ban. A license from an executive agency cannot repeal an act of Congress. If one phone call can undo an act of Congress, what have we become?
It pays for the war. Fuel sales are a main source of the Kremlin's war funding. Every tanker of Russian diesel we buy finances more death and destruction in Ukraine.
It breaks faith with our allies. The EU and UK are keeping their bans in place. America needs to build trust internationally, not destroy it.
It rewards Putin's pressure tactics, and that is more dangerous than most people realize. Moscow is now the tail wagging the dog.
We all know there are better answers: domestic refining, our strategic reserves, and supply from allies and producers who are not at war with a US partner. That should be our focus.
High diesel prices hurt farmers, truckers, and families. The issue is real. But none of the farmers and truckers I know want to pay blood money for diesel. These hard-working men and women are the moral backbone of this country. Cheap fuel bought with Ukrainian lives is not cheap.
Are you willing to pay that price?
What you can and should do:
• Call your Senators and Representative (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121). Ask them to demand that Treasury revoke General License 135 and enforce Public Law 117-109 as written.
• Share this post so others know the phone call was made, a license that defies the law exists, and that you don't want to finance Russia's war machine.
#Ukraine #RussiaSanctions #Congress #RuleOfLaw #EnergySecurity
Editors of Nashe Pravo,