Congress Votes to Stop Stockpiling Oil (Carl Hulse, Steven Lee Myers)

“Is it a giant step? No,” said Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, a leading proponent of the idea of trying to influence the price of gas by redirecting supplies from the reserve to the commercial market. “But is it a step finally, at long last, in the right direction? It is.”

{xtypo_quote_left} We are saying to the Saudis that if you don’t help us, why should we be helping you?” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York. “We are saying that the relationship has to be a two-way street. We are saying that we need real relief and we need it quickly. {/xtypo_quote_left} 

Despite initial resistance from the White House, the Senate voted 97 to 1 to stop putting 70,000 barrels of oil a day in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through the remainder of this year; the House later approved a similar bill by a vote of 385 to 25. Senators of both parties said the House bill could clear the Senate within days and be sent to the president.

The rapid action demonstrated lawmakers’ anxiety about election-year howls from constituents who are straining the family budget at the gas pump. It also was a rare break between Congressional Republicans and Mr. Bush as his usual allies voted en masse for the measure even though the White House has portrayed filling the reserve as a security issue and a way to guard against supply disruptions.

Read More: The New York Times