Pence group launches $10M ad buy pushing American energy production amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

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Bipartisan call to ban Russian oil imports

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Former Vice President Mike Pence’s policy and advocacy organization launched a $10 million ad campaign Monday, targeting multiple congressional Democrats and pushing for American energy independence amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom, a 501(c) (4) dedicated to advocating for "Conservative values and policy proposals," launched its first ad buy with an ad titled "Horrific Decision." The ad is set to run in a number of media markets in states across the nation.

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"In order to set the United States back on a path of energy independence, we need Congress to stand up to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and stand up for American Energy," Pence said Monday. "It’s time for President Biden to demonstrate American strength by restarting the Keystone Pipeline, restoring oil and natural gas leases, and issuing sanctions and imposing embargoes on all oil and gas exports from Russia." 

Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a "Save the Majority" rally on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Augusta, Georgia (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

The ad is targeting Democratic Reps. Colin Allred of Texas, Cindy Axne of Iowa, Jared Golden of Maine, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Lizzie Fletcher of Texas, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Chrissy Houlahan, Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Tom O’Halleran of Arizona, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Sharice Davids of Kansas and Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico.

The ad will run in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Tuscon, Arizona, Virginia Beach and more.

"Before Russian bombs began to rain on Ukraine. Before hundreds of innocent Ukrainians lost their lives. A horrific decision had already been made," the ad’s narrator states. "Joe Biden caved to the radical environmentalists and stopped America’s Keystone Pipeline and dramatically increased Americans' dependence on Russian oil, endangering America’s security and helping Russia fund their invasion."

The ad calls on viewers to call their member of Congress to tell them to "support America’s security instead of Russia’s terror."

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Pence's ad buy comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pushing legislation to ban oil imports from Russia, and Republicans, especially, have been calling for more domestic oil and gas production in the wake of Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine.  

The most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that in December, the U.S. imported 405,000 barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia or almost 5% of all U.S. imports for the month. That's down from about 800,000 barrels in August. 

The largest exporters of energy to the United States are Canada and Mexico. 

Democrats have called for a federal gas tax holiday as a possible solution for alleviating prices, while Republicans want expanded domestic oil drilling.

And some critics have accused the Biden administration of funding Russian Putin’s war on Ukraine by cutting down domestic oil production and relying on Russian oil.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki last week said "a wide range of options remain on the table," when asked about potentially reopening the Keystone XL pipeline to minimize energy dependence abroad, but reiterated Biden’s concerns surrounding U.S. energy prices.

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"This Keystone pipeline, it would take years for that to have an impact on prices," Psaki said. "Obviously, there are a range of reasons why the president opposes it, but it wasn't functioning, isn't functioning. It would take years. There are also 9,000 approved oil leases that oil companies are not tapping into."

"So yes, we all want to take steps to address any raise in gas prices that impact the American people," she continued. "But we should be very clear about what policies will help and what policies will not help."

And on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. is considering a ban on Russian oil imports "in coordination" with European and NATO allies amid bipartisan calls for a full embargo while Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking from the former Soviet republic of Moldova on CNN's  "State of the Union," Blinken said the administration was looking at the "prospect" of banning Russian oil imports "in a coordinated way" with allies, while making sure there is still enough oil on the global market, but he declined to elaborate on how that could be accomplished.

Fox News' Marisa Schultz and Jessica Chasmar and The Associated Press contributed to this report.