Democrats tear into Saudi Arabia over OPEC+ cut
The State Department on Thursday dismissed calls from some Democrats to withdraw US troops and missile systems from Saudi Arabia.
The US-Saudi relationship is again under pressure in Congress after the OPEC+ alliance announced a significant oil production cut just months after President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in what was then seen as a bid to bring down prices at the pump.
The White House on Thursday said “all options” are under consideration after Saudi-led OPEC and its allied producers agreed to slash production by two million barrels per day starting this November.
But those options do not include restricting US military support for Saudi Arabia, according to State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel — although a growing number of Congressional Democrats are calling for just that.
“We have a multiplicity of interests with regards to Saudi Arabia,” Patel said, but acknowledged the OPEC+ decision was “shortsighted” and could hit lower- and middle-income countries especially hard.
