Scott, Manchin Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Stop Sale of Crude Oil to China

Rick Scott/ The Floridian

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced a bipartisan bill that looks to ban the sale of crude oil from the United States, specifically from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to companies owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It would also ban the sale of any crude oil from the SPR to China itself.

According to Sen. Scott’s press release concerning the matter, the House of Representatives passed similar legislation by a margin of 331-97 with 113 House Democrats voting in favor.

“In only two years as president, Joe Biden has managed to cozy up to Communist China AND wage a war on American energy. Families are facing historically high prices when it comes to gas and groceries and it is forcing them to make tough choices. The LAST THING Joe Biden should be doing with America’s strategic petroleum reserve is giving it away to our adversaries. We must focus on unleashing American energy for America—NOT Communist China,” stated Sen. Scott.

The leading Democrat for the bill, Sen. Manchin, mentioned that legislation would take a step towards energy security.

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a vital piece of our nation’s infrastructure that bolsters our energy and national security. While the reserve has been a policy Band-Aid for rising gas prices and the global unrest caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the reserve is, above-all, meant to help the United States and our allies through difficult times, not to help China power its economy. This bill would ensure that we are not risking our energy security by selling our petroleum reserves to China, and the bipartisan support this legislation has received shows just how important it is for America to be energy secure and independent,” stated Manchin.

Moreover, Sen. Scott went after China this week in a different way as well. Responding to a Fox Business headline that circulated on Twitter concerning TikTok and its connection to the CCP, Scott stated that TikTok should be “TOTALLY BANNED.”

“Good. TikTok should be TOTALLY banned. It's a national security threat. We're ALL going to be safer and more secure when it's gone,” tweeted Scott.

Especially with the Chinese spy balloon fiasco recently, China has certainly been the topic of discussion.

Jackson Bakich

Born in Orlando but raised in Lake County, Florida, Jackson Bakich is currently a senior at Florida State University. Growing up in the sunshine state, Bakich co-hosted the political talk radio show "Lake County Roundtable" (WLBE) and was a frequent guest for "Lake County Sports Show" (WQBQ). Currently, he is the Sports Editor of the FSView and the co-host of "Tomahawk Talk" (WVFS), a sports talk radio program covering Florida State athletics in Tallahassee.