House Democrats urge Biden to release oil reserves, put a ban on exports

Democrats in the House of Representatives urged President Joe Biden to release crude oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday urged President Joe Biden to release crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and reinstate - at least temporarily - a ban on oil exports to help drive down surging energy prices.

The Democrats told Biden in a letter spearheaded by California Democrat Ro Khanna that urgent action was needed to ensure "affordable and reliable energy for American families." 

The letter, signed by eight other House Democrats, calls on Biden to "use all tools at our disposal to bring down gasoline prices in the short term." Eleven Senate Democrats wrote a