Bill makes it harder for President to limit crude oil exports
H.R. 1850 — CRUDE Act · Filed by Jodey Arrington (R-TX) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 5, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill makes it much harder for the President to restrict crude oil exports. Currently, the President can limit exports if the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, and Commerce jointly find that exports have caused oil shortages or price spikes harming U.S. employment. The bill raises the bar by requiring those three officials to jointly find AND the President to declare a national emergency AND formally publish that declaration in the Federal Register before any export restrictions can take effect. It also removes an existing alternative pathway (subparagraph C) that allowed restrictions under other circumstances.
Why we flagged it
The bill functionally deregulates crude oil exports by raising procedural barriers to presidential export controls. It shifts power away from executive agencies tasked with protecting domestic supply and employment toward oil producers seeking unrestricted export access.
What the text implies
- Removes an existing alternative restriction pathway (subparagraph C) without explaining what that pathway was or why it is being eliminated — the full effect depends on reading the 2016 law itself.
- The national-emergency declaration requirement may create a political barrier to export controls even when economic conditions warrant them, since declaring a national emergency is a high-profile act that invites scrutiny.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
crude oil producers; crude oil exporters; oil and gas companies with export capacity