Austin News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Andy Barr (R-Ky.-6) have introduced the Securing Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2024 (SEESA) in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. This bill aims to preserve sanctions mandated under the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA). PEESA, co-authored by Senators Cruz and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), was signed into law in 2019 and immediately halted construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The existing sanctions are set to expire at the end of December 2024. SEESA also prevents the President from waiving these sanctions through national security findings.

Upon introducing SEESA, Sen. Cruz stated, “The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has always been a geopolitical tool that Vladimir Putin intended to use, and eventually did use, to blackmail America’s European allies and to undermine American national security. The pipeline was halted at the last minute in 2019 only because President Trump signed my sanctions legislation into law, and it remains offline only because sanctions under the bill are still in effect. An online and operational Nord Stream 2 pipeline would pose a direct threat to our European allies’ energy security and to America’s ability to ensure the safety and security of Americans and our allies.”

Rep. Barr added, “The energy security of our European allies and the national security of the United States are deeply intertwined. Allowing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to ever become operational would not only jeopardize Europe’s energy independence but also empower Russia’s adversarial influence in the region. I was proud to lead passage of these sanctions in the House well before Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. With the war in Europe ongoing, these sanctions are crucial for ensuring that Russia is cut off from an opportunity to use energy as a malign means to influence our European allies.”

Senator Cruz was joined by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and James Risch (R-Idaho).

Read the bill here.

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