Democrats are demanding answers after the Trump administration moved to ease sanctions on Russian oil reserves.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed the move that will allow India to temporarily accept Russian oil as supplies are reportedly strained during Operation Epic Fury in Iran.
“This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government because it only authorizes transactions involving oil already stranded at sea,” Bessent wrote on X and shared a clip from Fox Business.
The world is well supplied in oil thanks to @POTUS’ policy of American Energy Dominance.
Our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil. As we work to ease the temporary gap of oil supply around the world, we have temporarily… pic.twitter.com/XqnthTxSLn
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) March 7, 2026
Democrat members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs have requested a meeting with Bessent by the end of March, The Hill reported.
“The Trump administration cannot simultaneously claim to be prioritizing U.S. military operations while offering sanctions relief to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” the legislators wrote.
“The solution to a war started by President Trump must not be to reward the adversary helping Iran target American troops.”
The Dems accused the Trump admin of “violating the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which requires the president to notify Congress 30 days before altering sanctions on countries such as Russia. President Trump signed this into law during his first term,” according to The Hill.
Russia has been accused of providing Iran with information that led to counterstrikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, President Trump addressed the issue in a recent presser, vowing that oil prices will come down:
TRUMP ON OIL PRICES 🔥
TRUMP SAYS FALLING OIL PRICES ARE A RESULT OF THE U.S.–IRAN WAR.
CRUDE SPIKED ABOVE $120 DURING HORMUZ DISRUPTIONS, THEN DROPPED BELOW $90 AS TENSIONS EASED.
IRAN SAID OIL PRICES MAY HIT $200.
TRUMP MAY SELL VENEZUEL…Show more https://t.co/rLGyBgZTvY pic.twitter.com/q0tx8wIaHr
— Money Ape (@TheMoneyApe) March 11, 2026
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