Oil dispute compels Kathy Castor to support removing U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and UAE

Tampa Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor says she supports a bill to pull all U.S. troops out of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the decision announced last week by the OPEC + consortium to sharply cut oil production, which is predicted to increase gas prices in the U.S.

“The Saudis have proven over and over that they’re not in the mainstream of nations when it comes to human rights. They murdered a reporter, and we don’t need their oil anymore,” Castor told the Phoenix on Friday, specifically referring to the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, approved the murder of Khashoggi, according to a U.S. intelligence report that was declassified and released to the public last year.

President Joe Biden criticized the Saudi government during his campaign for President in 2020, warning the kingdom would “pay the price” for human rights abuses. Yet he ended up meeting up with the crown prince this Summer, when he said he was doing “all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen.”

The announcement by the Saudis last week has angered Democrats, with inflation and high gas prices one of the top issues listed by voters going into the Midterm Elections next month.

“We’re moving to clean energy in this country,” said Castor, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. “We’ve got to support the countries in the world that believe in democracy and human rights, and Saudi Arabia is not it.”

The average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in the U.S. is $3.92. In Florida, it’s at $3.33 a gallon. That’s down from a high of $4.89 recorded on June 13, but up 11 cents from a week ago, according to AAA. Patrick De Haan, an analyst with GasBuddy, predicted last week that the move by OPEC + will raise gas prices between 15 and 30 cents.

‘Hostile act’

The proposal in the U.S. House is being sponsored by New Jersey’s Tom Malinowski, Illinois’ Sean Casten, and Pennsylvania’s Susan Wild, all Democrats. In a statement, the three members said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s support for the decision by OPEC to cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day “is a hostile act against the United States that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine.”

The bill is similar to a 2020 proposal introduced by Louisiana GOP U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy that called for withdrawing all members of the U.S. Armed Forces within 30 days of passage. He proposed that after OPEC + announced that they would slash oil production by approximately 15 million barrels, or 15 percent of global production.

The U.S. has about 3,000 troops in Saudi Arabia and 2,000 in the UAE, according to military.com.

Castor is running for re-election next month against Republican James Judge in Florida’s 14th Congressional District. A military veteran, Judge told the Phoenix Monday that he would need to look at the bill and consult with experts before making a decision about supporting it.

‘PR stunt’

“At first thought, the geopolitical implications could be worse off and create further instability in the Middle East, which could cause fuel prices to skyrocket even more,” Judge said in a written statement.

“I think this is more likely a PR stunt by the Democrats, who are worried about losing the midterms, as they should be, because they are the ones to blame for the high fuel prices, the absurd inflation we’re facing, along with skyrocketing violent crime rates. More importantly, we need to stop printing money and look at ways to reduce federal spending and start repaying our federal debt. ”

Congressional District 14’s boundaries were moved during the redistricting process that resulted in a new congressional map approved by the Florida Legislature earlier this year, and now adds a part of eastern Pinellas County to what had previously been a Hillsborough County seat.

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Mitch Perry reporting via Florida Phoenix.

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