Politics

House Republicans Push Bill to Ban Russian Oil Amid Trump‑Putin Deal

By Sayantani Biswas

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, announced on Saturday that he will introduce the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” and bring it to the House floor via a discharge petition. The bill is aimed at President Donald Trump’s recently announced agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the White House says will lower fuel prices by allowing Russia to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets. Fitzpatrick, who co‑chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said the legislation would block all purchases of Russian oil and described it as bipartisan, though he did not name any Democratic sponsors. He posted on X that the measure would be forced to the floor and would pass overwhelmingly.

Retiring Nebraska Republican Don Bacon said he would support the measure and had already agreed to be an original cosponsor. Bacon also told Axios that he had signed the petition.

The “Peace through Strength” doctrine, championed by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, holds that stability is best maintained through overwhelming military power, deterrence and preparedness rather than appeasement. Reagan’s administration increased defense spending and pursued programs such as the Strategic Defense Initiative, which aimed to counter nuclear threats and shift the strategic balance.

Trump’s deal was announced on Friday. Under its terms, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets, with further shipments to follow. Putin’s statement, reported by Russian state media, said Moscow had confirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the U.S. and the wider global market. Energy analysts have questioned whether the additional diesel would meaningfully lower prices.

The arrangement has drawn objections from both parties. Rhode Island Democrat Gabe Amo, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned its logic on social media, saying, “After signing a law to ramp up sanctions on Russia, Trump is paying Putin for oil to deal with the high gas prices caused by his choice of war with Iran? That’s not punishing Putin, that’s profit.”

The deal also intersects with existing U.S. law. In 2022, Congress passed legislation banning imports of Russian oil and authorizing further sanctions. That measure contained an exception allowing the president to permit energy already purchased before its passage, or imports deemed to be in the national interest.

A discharge petition allows lawmakers to bring legislation to a vote without the approval of House leadership. It requires 218 signatures, a majority of the chamber, and has increasingly been used to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. Fitzpatrick and Bacon have used the mechanism before, forcing a House vote on Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions earlier this year.

The current Congress ends in January, and the House is not scheduled to vote again until after the November 3 midterm elections. Any legislation that passes the House would still need Senate approval and could face a presidential veto.

Fitzpatrick’s proposal sets up a fresh test of Republican support for the administration’s approach to Russian energy supplies and its broader policy toward the war in Ukraine.