ByRepresentatives Rude, Fitzgibbon, Stokesbary, Robertson, Bergquist, Berry, Sells, Schmick, MacEwen, Leavitt, Pollet, Chambers, Santos, Ryu, Gilday, Macri, Eslick, Taylor, Dent, Wicks, Riccelli, Harris-Talley, Dolan, Berg, Hoff, Goehner, Klicker, Dye, Bronoske, Paul, Goodman, Boehnke, Shewmake, Senn, Young, and Peterson

TO THE HONORABLE JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, Russia has engaged in an unjustified and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine, in violation of international law; and

WHEREAS, Washington stands firmly in support of Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and strongly condemns Russia's military actions against Ukraine, and supports the United States Government ending all business with Russia that helps to finance and sustain Russia's unprovoked acts of war; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, the United States imported an average of 209,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 500,000 barrels per day of other petroleum products from Russia, which represented three percent of the United States crude oil imports and one percent of the total crude oil processed by United States refineries; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress has the authority to suspend the import of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia; and

WHEREAS, Representative democracies provide the most protections and safeguards for their citizens, while protecting against the expansion of authoritarianism;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress of the United States support immediately restricting all future purchases of petroleum and other hydrocarbons from Russia. To protect consumers, however, any import prohibition should exempt products currently in transit to the United States.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.