Raleigh, N.C. – Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) sent a letter to North Carolina's Congressional delegation today calling on them to take immediate action to stop American dollars from being spent on Russian oil.

"We don’t need to send in American troops to make an effective impact on Russian aggression, but we must do more than removing Russian vodka from store shelves, much more," Sen. Berger wrote in his letter. "We must choke off Putin’s access to cash; cash that is necessary for Putin to fund his aggression. If we are to effectively help Ukraine, we should immediately end purchases of Russian oil."

Recent data shows that the United States imported about 672,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia in 2021. An estimated $17.5 billion went to lining the pockets of Russian Oligarchs and funding Putin's war in Ukraine.

His letter highlights the need for the United States to recommit to becoming energy independent, instead of relying on other countries for our nation's energy supply.

Below is a short excerpt of the letter. You can read the full letter here.

As North Carolina’s representatives in Washington, D.C., I urge you to support legislation that ends this financial support of the Russian invasion. Forcefully and vigorously call on President Biden to take all necessary steps to stop the purchase of Russian oil.

This is also a painful reminder of the consequences of policies that keep the United States from being energy independent. We have allowed the promise of a renewable energy future to mask the reality, and dangers, of an energy dependent present. We don’t need to rely on other countries for our energy. And refusal to recognize that fact leads to unacceptable and deadly outcomes and unsavory relationships with totalitarian regimes. We have the resources and the know-how to increase natural gas and oil production in America to once again be free from reliance on foreign energy producers.

We need to reverse harmful and short-sighted policies that prevent us from producing our own energy such as canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline and blocking new oil and gas leases.

We must recommit to achieving energy independence and keeping costs low for our citizens. We can do so while protecting our environment and continuing efforts to successfully develop reliable, dispatchable, and environmentally friendly renewable energy.