REFUSE PUTIN Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.
Regaining Energy Freedom and Undeniable SEcurity and Preserving U.S. Trade Interests Now Act or the REFUSE PUTIN Act
This bill addresses U.S. energy security and independence, the importation and exportation of fossil fuels, and drawdowns from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Specifically, the bill directs the President to prohibit the importation of fossil fuels from Russia. While the prohibition is in effect, the President may not ban the export of crude oil.
The President must also rescind certain orders, including specified environmental executive orders relating to climate change. Further, agencies must repeal any regulations that have the intent or effect of substantially reducing U.S. energy independence.
In addition, the bill grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the exclusive authority to approve or deny applications for facilities, such as liquefied natural gas terminals, to export natural gas from the United States to foreign countries or import natural gas from foreign countries.
Additionally, the Department of Energy may not drawdown petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until it develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
Finally, the bill also approves the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline in Phillips County, Montana for the import of oil from Canada to the United States.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 7, 2022. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 21, 2022: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
David McKinley (R-WV) introduced it on March 7, 2022, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 4 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 7, 2022, 1648 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1634 days ago, on March 21, 2022.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers