The publication is reproduced in full below:
RUSSIA
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, it is interesting to listen to the reaction to the notion that we are going to stop our dependence on Russian oil. I totally support that. The notion that I would buy gasoline in my hometown and put it in my car or truck and somehow subsidize what Vladimir Putin is doing in the rape of Ukraine is just unacceptable. I believe there is not only a moral force but a political force behind this. Morally, there is no way we are going to support Putin. Politically, we have to come together with other nations and make this as painful as possible on him, and stopping the import of Russian oil is a move in that direction.
It is interesting that that was a bipartisan position which I joined over the weekend--many of us did--Democrats and Republicans all saying: Enough with the Russian oil. We will find other ways to keep America's economy and cars and trucks moving without being dependent on Vladimir Putin or subsidizing his war effort.
It was bipartisan--strong statements. In fact, there were as many statements in support of this from the other side of the aisle as this side of the aisle. Then what happened? Well, Dana Milbank, in this morning's Washington Post, tells the story of what happened.
After President Biden made his announcement Tuesday, he said, accurately:
``Since Putin began his military buildup on Ukrainian borders, just since then, [it is 2 weeks] the price of gas at the pump in America went up 75 cents. And with this action
[the Americans will stop buying Russian oil] it's going to go up further.'' [President Biden] dubbed it ``Putin's price hike'' and said ``Russia is responsible.''
Since this was a bipartisan idea--stopping the flow of Russian oil into the United States and subsidizing Putin's invasion of Ukraine--you would think there would be bipartisan applause. The exact opposite occurred.
In a Dana Milbank article, which I will ask to be part of the Record, here is what was said by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy:
``These aren't Putin prices. They're President Biden's prices''. . . . ``Gas prices started rising the day President Biden took office--when he canceled the Keystone Pipeline and halted new drilling on federal lands.''
It turns out that these assertions, by not just Kevin McCarthy but other Republican leaders, are just not accurate. Nobody goes to the task and assignment of actually backing up some of these facts like real history and real numbers.
Here is what he says: Gas prices started rising on the day that Biden took office.
Wrong.
They have been on an upward trend since bottoming out in April 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This is because of booming demand during the recovery. So this notion that these are Biden gas prices that just started going up magically after he was sworn--not true.
Then I love this one on the Keystone XL Pipeline. How many times have you heard on the floor of the Senate--maybe even this morning--that canceling the Keystone Pipeline is the reason that gasoline prices have gone up?
It turns out, according to Dana Milbank, that pipeline was only 10 percent completed when Biden canceled it. Its owners didn't even expect to open it until next year, 2023, at the earliest.
Well, how about this one? You hear this over and over again from so many Republicans: Biden halted new drilling on Federal lands, they say. According to Milbank:
Wrong. After a temporary halt in new leases, Biden has outpaced Trump in new drilling permits for public lands.
That has been reported by the Washington Post.
And as for Biden's shutdown of American energy, listen to this:
U.S. production has increased under Biden from 9.7 million barrels a day to 11.6 million barrels. The number of oil rigs operating was 172 in July of 2020. . . . Now, 519 are in operation. U.S. production is forecast to set a record next year.
Now, I don't doubt that stopping the Russian export of oil into the United States is going to have a negative impact on gasoline prices. It stands to reason. But there is an adjustment being made. The President spoke to it last night, at a meeting we attended, where he is working on other sources for America to make this hardship as little as possible.
I ask unanimous consent that the Milbank article be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Biden Heeded Republicans' Pleas To Ban Russian Oil. Then They Pounced
(By Dana Milbank)
A cynic is rarely disappointed by this Republican Party. Yet even by that standard, the current attempt to blame President Biden--and absolve Vladimir Putin--for the spike in gas prices is a special case.
For days, Republicans called for a ban on imports of Russian oil, a move that, while the right thing to do to counter Putin's attack against Ukraine, would cause already high gas prices to rise even further. Biden did as Republicans wanted--and they responded by blaming his energy policies for spiking gas prices.
It's not only that the charge is bogus--the current price of gas has virtually nothing to do with Biden's energy policies--but that the Republican officials leveling it are sowing division at home and giving a rhetorical boost to the enemy at a perilous moment when national unity and sacrifice will be needed to prevail against Russia.
Announcing the ban on Tuesday, Biden said, accurately:
``Since Putin began his military buildup on Ukrainian borders, just since then, the price of the gas at the pump in America went up 75 cents. And with this action, it's going to go up further.'' He dubbed it ``Putin's price hike'' and said
``Russia is responsible.''
republicans leaped to putin's defense
``These aren't Putin prices. They're President Biden's prices,'' House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy said during a news conference on Wednesday. Via tweet, he claimed: ``Gas prices started rising the day President Biden took office--when he canceled the Keystone Pipeline and halted new drilling on federal lands.''
Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), head of the House Republican Conference, added: ``Joe Biden blames Russia for skyrocketing gas prices. But make no mistake--Biden's war on American energy is to blame.''
Scores of Republicans piled on. The GOP side of the House Energy and Commerce Committee tweeted: ``Russia isn't
`responsible'. Biden's shutdown of American energy is.''
That's just a gusher of mendacity.
Gas prices ``started rising the day President Biden took office''? Wrong. They've been on an upward trend since bottoming out in April 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This is because of booming demand during the recovery--not because of Biden's policies (or President Donald Trump's, for that matter).
Canceling the Keystone XL pipeline caused gas prices to rise? Wrong. It was only 10 percent done when Biden canceled it, and its owners didn't expect to open it until 2023 at the earliest.
Biden ``halted new drilling on federal lands''? Wrong. After a temporary halt in new leases, Biden has outpaced Trump in new drilling permits for public lands, The Post reported.
As for Biden's ``shutdown of American energy,'' U.S. production has increased under Biden from 9.7 million barrels a day to 11.6 million barrels. The number of oil rigs operating was at 172 in July 2020, E&E News reports. Now, 519 are in operation. U.S. production is forecast to set a record next year.
What's holding back oil production isn't government policy. U.S. producers still have 4,400 wells already approved and drilled that are not yet producing. They aren't drilling more because of a shortage of workers and equipment and, particularly, investors' greed. As The Post reported, major U.S. oil companies say they would rather use their profits
``to boost payouts to shareholders'' than ``rush to drill new wells.''
Blaming Biden for the spike in prices around Russia's Ukraine invasion isn't just false--it's an assist to Putin that damages national security.
Polls show that Americans--Republicans and Democrats alike--favor banning Russian oil imports, even if that increases energy prices. Seventy-nine percent said so in a Wall Street Journal poll this week. Americans know the stakes, and they are willing to sacrifice.
But what happens if Republican lawmakers and their Fox News masters persuade their supporters to believe that Biden, not Putin, is to blame for their problems? Their willingness to sacrifice dissipates--and so does their support for the fight against Putin.
It's lucky this hasn't happened already. Fox News's Tucker Carlson, after parroting Kremlin talking points justifying its invasion of Ukraine, has pivoted to blaming the United States for provoking Putin. ``Why in the world would the United States intentionally seek war with Russia?'' he asked on Monday night.
Trump himself has praised Putin's acuity, Sen. Josh Hawley
(R-Mo.) has called for the United States to appease Russia by abandoning its support for Ukrainian membership in NATO, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), after proposing to impeach Biden for ``threatening war'' with Russia, now asks:
``How is banning Russian oil (10 percent of our imports) helping reduce gas prices hurting Americans?''
Fighting Russian aggression while avoiding World War III is hard enough. With Republicans acting in bad faith, it's that much harder.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 43
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