Pelosi to proceed with vote on Russia oil ban

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced the House would vote that day on a bill to ban Russian oil imports to the U.S., even as President Joe Biden prepared his own executive action on the issue.

In a letter to her caucus, Pelosi slated a Tuesday afternoon vote on a bill that would ban Russia imports of oil and other energy products, as well as mandate a review of Russia's status in the World Trade Organization. Pelosi also said the bipartisan bill would allow the U.S. to impose further sanctions on Russia by updating a human rights bill known as the Magnitsky Act.

It's a remarkably fast timeline for the bill, which senior Democrats were still racing to finish drafting earlier Tuesday.

"The Congress commends the President for announcing action to stop the import of Russian energy products into the United States — which we will support by passing strong, bipartisan legislation to that effect today," Pelosi said in the note to lawmakers.

Those rapid moves by both the House and Biden also reflect a major course correction for the White House, which has shifted its position on a ban on Russian oil imports to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine. Just days ago the White House was rejecting the move out of fear that an import ban would send U.S. gas prices skyrocketing. But bipartisan support for the action in both the House and the Senate in recent days has helped drive a shift in Biden's stance.

Pelosi first endorsed banning Russian oil imports last week, bolstering support across her caucus.

Pelosi had informed colleagues earlier Tuesday morning that the House would vote on a Russian oil import ban as part of a larger package of measures designed to help Ukraine in its fight to fend off the Russian attack, according to a Democratic aide. The aide said the White House had been suggesting for days it would act but was only now proceeding after pressure from Congress.

The legislation is an attempt "to try to persuade, and indeed, to force Putin to stop and desist from the carnage and criminal behavior" in Ukraine, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday.

Hoyer predicted the bill would be "passed in a bipartisan way."

It's less clear if the Senate plans to vote on legislation pushed by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would block Russian oil. Although the measure has strong support, Senate procedures make it difficult for the chamber to move quickly, which could make action there moot.

"If we were to loiter on something like this, our inactivity could be viewed or spun to be division," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).

The U.K. is also expected to announce its own ban on the import of Russian oil later Tuesday, according to three Whitehall officials.