CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

DemocratAmendment · S.Amdt. 3796· Senate(119-SAMDT-3796)

S.Amdt. 3796

Rep. Merkley
Age: 70 years
Oregon
Introduced
9/4/2025
Sponsored by
Jeff Merkley
Cosponsors
None
Changes bill
119-S-2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

SA 3796, submitted by Mr. Merkley, aims to add a section titled "Protecting American Households from Rising Energy Costs" to bill S. 2296.

The purpose of this amendment is to prohibit the export or resale of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products to certain countries and entities. These include:

  • The People's Republic of China (or the Chinese Communist Party)
  • The Russian Federation
  • The Democratic People's Republic of Korea
  • The Islamic Republic of Iran

The amendment also covers any entity under the ownership or control of these locations, as determined by the Secretary of Energy in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce.

The Secretary of Energy may issue a waiver to these prohibitions only if there is an imminent and acute national security emergency to the United States and other responses would be inadequate.

To ensure accountability, the amendment establishes penalties for violations:

  • Civil penalties up to $250,000,000 or twice the amount of the transaction.
  • Criminal penalties including fines up to $100,000,000 and imprisonment for up to 20 years.