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HEAT Members Applaud President Trump for Pressuring Saudi Arabia and Russia to Resolve Global Crude Oil Market Manipulation

April 13, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and HEAT members Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) released the following statements after OPEC reached an agreement to resolve global crude oil market manipulation.

Last week, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and members of the House Energy Action Team (HEAT) led a joint letter to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman urging him to take immediate action to bring stability – not further volatility – to global crude oil markets.

"I applaud President Trump for his leadership in pressuring Saudi Arabia and Russia to end their oil-market dumping and price manipulation," said Whip Scalise. "As we continue to address the health and economic crisis from COVID-19, this agreement will bring more stability to global oil markets, which have recently experienced drastic volatility and uncertainty. Price manipulation harms our domestic production and the thousands of workers who established American energy dominance and I'm glad President Trump secured this victory for American energy producers."

"Oil and gas production is a lifeline to the Permian Basin and many other oil-producing zones around this country, "
said Rep. Mike Conaway."The deal brokered by President Trump and bolstered by the support of many Republicans in Congress will provide much needed relief to our oil and gas producers, and is a huge step in the right direction towards America's economic recovery."

"President Trump's announcement of a new OPEC agreement this weekend represents an enormous step forward to save American energy independence from manipulation by Russia and KSA," said Rep. Chip Roy. "Now, more than ever, American energy producers need certainty on the international stage coupled with a path to economic re-start as we work to manage the Coronavirus."

"President Trump's leadership has delivered on yet another win for American energy," said Rep. Jeff Duncan. "The pressure he put on Russia and Saudi Arabia to negotiate an end to oil market manipulation, the same pressure emphasized by the House Energy Action Team just last week, has led to an important victory for our energy producers around the country."

"This deal is great news for the workers and communities supported by the American oil industry,"
said Rep. Markwayne Mullin. "During these uncertain times, it will bring much needed stability to an industry that has already been hurt by the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for American producers and bringing Russia and Saudi Arabia to the table to end their intentional disruption of the global oil market."

Read the full letter here.

The letter was signed by House Republican Whip and HEAT Co-Chair Steve Scalise (R-La.), Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Heat Co-Chairs Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), and Reps. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Larry Buschon M.D. (R-Ind.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Bill Flores (R-Texas), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (R-Ariz.), Garret Graves (R-La.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), Clay Higgins (R-La.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Fred Keller (R-Pa.), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Carol D. Miller (R-W. Va.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Pete Olson (Texas), Greg Pence (R-Ind.), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), David Rouzer (R-N.C.), Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), William Timmons (R-S.C.), Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Steve Watkins (R-Kan.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Roger Williams (R-Texas), and Don Young (R-Alaska).