Sen. Cramer happy Biden banned Russian oil imports, says it should’ve happened sooner

WASHINGTON (KVRR) – North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer says America shouldn’t help fund Russia’s war with Ukraine by buying their oil, especially because he believes America can produce enough of its own.

“How would you tell a single parent in North Dakota they could soon see gas prices go up above $4 a gallon, that would you tell a single parent that’s a good idea for a political move?” Austin Erickson asked.

“It’s not a good idea for a single parent or for anybody else because, remember, the price of gasoline, the price of liquid fuels, the price of energy is associated with the price of everything else. These are all outcomes of inflation that was completely preventable in our own country. When you think about the sacrifices of war, certainly there’s some sacrifices throughout the world people everywhere are paying as a result of Vladimir Putin’s unwarranted and unprovoked terror. When we look at a mother in Ukraine hiding out in a bunker, or the million plus Ukrainians who have fled to Poland, leaving their brothers, their fathers behind to fight this unjust war, that’s a sacrifice that Americans aren’t having to make,” Cramer said.

“Your colleague, I believe good friend, Senator Lindsay Graham, he recently tweeted he wanted President Putin to be taken out. Is that something you agree with?” Erickson asked.

“It’s a moment for the Russian people to rise up and have a revolution. How that manifests itself is somewhat up to them, obviously. How that’s played out is up to them. I would not call for the assassination of a foreign leader if if I wished for it,” Cramer explained.

“Thank you so much for your time. I know this is probably one thing, the banning of Russian oil, that you, President Biden and Speaker Pelosi agree on, so there’s that,” Erickson said.

“There’s hope. There’s a silver lining,” Cramer said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says there are nine thousand federally approved oil drilling permits that are unused.

She says the argument the Biden Administration is preventing oil companies from drilling is incorrect.