Rubio Calls Out Biden on Foreign Dependence on Oil
Amid oil price hikes, U.S. President Joe Biden will “almost certainly” seek help from China, whose ruling Communist Party has pursued political gains while exporting refined products, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says.
“Thanks to a combination of now-President Biden’s horrific policies and a decades-long war against American-made energy, Americans find themselves begging foreign nations for oil and gasoline,” Rubio wrote in an op-ed published in National Review on July 7.
Biden, who is facing mounting pressures as soaring prices at the pump have left American drivers frustrated, eased sanctions on Venezuela in May, allowing the U.S. oil company Chevron to negotiate with the country’s state-backed oil company.
The president will travel to Saudi Arabia this week and is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the oil-rich kingdom’s de facto leader, who is believed to be behind the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to U.S. intelligence officials.
“But what comes next will be even more embarrassing for the United States: President Biden will almost certainly ask the Chinese Communist Party to power up its refineries and ship refined petroleum products to America,” Rubio wrote.
“And he will be willing to pay a high price for it, likely by removing hundreds, if not thousands, of tariffs that help American industry compete with cheap—and forced—Chinese labor.”
Biden said on June 19 that he would speak with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping “soon” and is in the process of deciding what to do with the tariffs on more than $300 worth of Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration.
“It only takes a little foresight to see how refined petroleum products may become part of the bargain,” Rubio wrote.
US-China Watch Newsletter
An essential digest of our award-winning coverage on US-China relations. Get the latest political and economic developments.
Rubio, who introduced a bill to ban oil export to China last month, criticized the move as “unacceptable” and called on boosting domestic oil production.
“Instead of groveling to a Marxist regime determined to overtake our country, we should focus inward and send a signal that we welcome all American energy production, including oil and natural gas,” he wrote.
“If President Biden needs more resources or authorities to keep current refineries online and fast-track new capacity, he should ask Congress for help. But he needs to ask us, not the Chinese Communist Party.”
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
