Top Democrats are trying to punish Saudi Arabia in the wake of OPEC’s decision to cut oil production despite the U. S. warning that the move could have a negative effect on the global economy.
OPEC’s announcement on Wednesday that it would cut oil production by 2 million barrels from November sparked a sharp reaction. National Security Council spokesman John Kirthrough told CNN on Tuesday that Biden continues to “reevaluate” U. S. appointments with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the move. And the White House said the president would work with Congress to chart the way forward.
BIDEN ‘REASSESSES’ TIES IN SAUDI ARABIA AS DEMOCRATS TAKE UP OPEC’S CHALLENGE
But Saudi Arabia’s resolution extended to Capitol Hill.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Monday called for a “freeze” on cooperation with the country in reaction to its actions, on the same day, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation to prevent arms sales and the sale of parts of the military to the Saudis.
“The Saudi resolution is a blow to the United States, but the United States also has a way of responding: it can temporarily suspend the great step of the American war generation at the greedy hands of the Saudis,” the two lawmakers said, as well as the Yale school. by control professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, he wrote in a Politico op-ed.
“Simply put, the United States deserves not to supply such limitless strategic defense systems to our greatest enemy’s obvious best friend: nuclear bomb extortionist Vladimir Putin,” they added.
Menendez spoke out in favor of banning gun sales, adding that he believes security cooperation also deserves to be stopped in an effort to “defend the body of American workers and interests. “
“The United States will have to freeze without delay all facets of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia, adding any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is surely mandatory to protect America’s body of workers and interests,” he said in a statement.
The announcement is notable given Menendez’s role as chairman of the Senate committee that oversees foreign arms sales.
“As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will allow any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses its position on the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough,” he added.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer threatened legislative action to punish Saudi Arabia’s decision.
“What Saudi Arabia did to help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin continue his despicable and cruel war against Ukraine will long be remembered by the Americans. We are on the entire legislative team to better handle this appalling and deeply cynical action, adding the NOPEC bill,” Schumer tweeted Thursday, referring to the law that would replace antitrust policies to allow lawsuits against OPEC member countries and their companies.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The oil cuts threatened an already bloodless rendezvous-and-Mexico rendezvous. The U. S. and the Gulf’s best friend and took the U. S. to the U. S. The U. S. Air Force called off an assembly that was scheduled to take positions among U. S. Embassy officials. The U. S. and the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council on air and missile defenses are reported, Semafor reported. Tuesday.
Republicans also condemned the OPEC resolution but took aim at Democrats for their positions on energy policy, arguing that the scenario shows there will be more domestic production.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recently said, “When fuel costs skyrocketed, the Biden administration insisted from the sensible part to the back that it didn’t exceed them. When costs began to stabilize, the same politicians asked for a circular of applause. “It’s funny how it works: Here’s what running families in Kentucky know: that a gallon of fuel costs more than a dollar more than before President Biden took office. “
“Just as our headline inflation of 13. 2% since January 2021 is attributable to reckless spending by Democrats, much of our power crisis is attributable to the short-sighted policies of Democrats. “