WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) supported a letter calling on President Biden to lift his ban on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports, an issue critical to the South Texas energy sector, as part of deliberations over how Congress should deal with the fallout of the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident.  

In January of this year, President Biden’s White House issued an indefinite ban on the issuance of LNG exports to non-Free Trade agreement countries — and announced no timeline for the end of the ban while the administration reviews “climate change” impacts. The ban has had tremendously negative impacts, not only on South Texas, but on the whole U.S. energy industry, with detrimental effects on job creation and economic opportunity in communities who need it. Furthermore, the lack of a clear timeline from the White House has created significant uncertainty for employers and energy providers, making a bad situation worse.

In the wake of the recent Francis Scott Key Bridge tragedy, the conservative House Freedom Caucus has been evaluating ways Congress could assist in rebuilding the bridge while lessening the burden on taxpayers and minimizing the negative fallout of having a major port under construction. One of the proposed solutions, included in a letter sent from the Freedom Caucus to House leadership, proposed that the House require Biden to lift his LNG export ban before Congress appropriates funds for the bridge repairs.

The Freedom Caucus letter states that “the Biden Administration’s pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals — which, like the Baltimore harbor closure, has severe implications for foreign trade – must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction.”

Rep. Cloud released the following statement on the letter and his advocacy for Biden to lift his LNG ban:

“Everyday President Biden is waging an economic war on our own country by hamstringing the wealth of resources we have at our disposal. This is having untold negative impacts on American workers, businesses, and energy providers — all in pursuit of the left’s futile climate change agenda, where even in a best-case scenario, the average American would receive minimal benefit at a tremendously high cost. The President’s ban on LNG exports was a bad decision with painful consequences – impacting my district and the whole country’s energy sector — and while we can’t afford this kind of self-inflicted damage on a given day, we especially can’t afford it with inflation still rising, the border in ruin, and a major harbor in shambles after a tragic accident. Biden needs to change course. That’s why my Freedom Caucus colleagues and I are pressuring the President on this issue, and why the President should lift his LNG export ban immediately. We should be looking for ways to relieve American taxpayers of their burden — not worsening it with a partisan political agenda from the left. Mr. President, it’s time to unlock the American energy industry and let them do their jobs.”

To read the full text of the letter, click HERE.

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