During a recent Senate hearing, tensions escalated as Senator Eric Schmitt, representing Missouri, confronted Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over alleged coordination between the Biden administration and China regarding the release of U.S. emergency oil reserves.

The senator highlighted the failure to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) since urging other nations to do so during Russia’s conflict with Ukraine in 2022. Schmitt emphasized the alarming depletion of U.S. reserves, contrasting it with China’s substantial stockpile.

Despite Granholm’s denial of any coordination with China, Schmitt pointed to transactions involving a Chinese-owned company and private equity firm linked to Hunter Biden. The exchange underscored concerns about national security and the administration’s energy policy.