Kaine & Gallego Lead Letter Pressing Trump Administration About Decision to Ease Sanctions on Russia and Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) led their colleagues in a letter pressing the Trump Administration about its decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports and its lack of planning regarding the economic fallout of President Donald Trump's war of choice against Iran. Since the war began, the price of U.S. crude oil has risen by more than 40 percent, and the average price of gasoline has risen by more than a dollar per gallon as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz-something that President Trump and his top national security advisers were warned about prior to the start of the war.

"We write with deep concern and confusion over your administration's recent decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports," wrote the members. "These actions speak once again to the troubling lack of strategic foresight that has marked your administration's decision-making prior to and during its war of choice with Iran, jeopardizing the lives of our servicemembers across the region and raising costs for Americans here at home."

"Open source reporting suggests that prior to starting this war of choice, you and your administration were regularly briefed on, and dismissed, the potential economic fallout of a conflict with Iran. These warnings included the regime's likely closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting severe spike in global oil prices," the senators continued. "Now that those impacts are being felt in Americans' pocketbooks, your administration is scrambling - and failing - to contain this fallout."

In the letter, the senators also raise concerns about easing Russian sanctions given recent reporting that Russia has been sharing intelligence with Iran regarding the movements of U.S. forces in the Middle East, and the risks both of these decisions pose to U.S. servicemembers.

The senators wrote, "The economic effects of the war are already raising costs, with Americans being asked to pay even more for gas, groceries, and travel. Relieving sanctions on U.S. adversaries during an active conflict is just the most recent indicator of an incoherent and disordered policy approach."

"We demand that you make senior officials of your Administration immediately available for public hearings in order to fully explain to the American people the rationale behind the decision to release these funds to the Russian and Iranian regimes," the senators concluded.

In addition to Kaine and Gallego, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear President Trump:

We write with deep concern and confusion over your administration's recent decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports. These actions speak once again to the troubling lack of strategic foresight that has marked your administration's decision-making prior to and during its war of choice with Iran, jeopardizing the lives of our servicemembers across the region and raising costs for Americans here at home.

The administration's lack of strategic cohesion on the war in Iran is having a direct impact on the economy and is endangering our servicemembers. Open source reporting suggests that prior to starting this war of choice, you and your administration were regularly briefed on, and dismissed, the potential economic fallout of a conflict with Iran. These warnings included the regime's likely closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting severe spike in global oil prices. Now that those impacts are being felt in Americans' pocketbooks, your administration is scrambling - and failing - to contain this fallout. The administration's abrupt March 20 decision to waive certain sanctions on Iranian oil sales will do little to mitigate rising costs even while opening a massive source of new revenue - per press reports, as much as $14 billion - for the very regime that U.S. servicemembers are risking their lives to strike.

Open source reporting also suggests Russia began sharing sensitive intelligence with the Iranian military within the first days of the start of this conflict, including targeting information for U.S. military forces in the Middle East. Russia's direct military support for Iran would alone make shocking your decision to ease sanctions on their oil exports, but Russia is already set to make as much as $4.9 billion from surging oil prices - your sanctions waiver will undoubtedly add to that sum, enabling Russian President Vladimir Putin to redouble and extend pressure on our Ukrainian partners as they struggle to defend their country against his aggression.

The war in Iran is deeply unpopular, and Americans have made clear that they do not want another costly, protracted conflict in the Middle East. The economic effects of the war are already raising costs, with Americans being asked to pay even more for gas, groceries, and travel. Relieving sanctions on U.S. adversaries during an active conflict is just the most recent indicator of an incoherent and disordered policy approach. Economic relief for Americans starts with the cessation of wars of choice, not the continuation of them.

We demand that you make senior officials of your Administration immediately available for public hearings in order to fully explain to the American people the rationale behind the decision to release these funds to the Russian and Iranian regimes.

Sincerely,

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