RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – President Joe Biden has committed to sending additional armed forces to join the thousands of troops from Fort Bragg who are already in Europe. Wake County congressional representative Deborah Ross said they have her full support.

“It’s heart wrenching to have your loved one go off to what looks like an escalating war zone. Yes, that’s what they signed up for, but what they have to know is that we have their backs here at home, and that Congress will make sure that they have what they need to do their job,” Ross said.

With each day bringing uncertainty of just what Vladimir Putin’s endgame is, the price of fuel continues to go up. Ross was part of a bipartisan briefing with the U.S. Secretary of Energy Thursday night and agrees that tapping the federal petroleum reserve should be on the table.

“We can also work with some of our allies in the Middle East. You know, they have oil, too, and we need to utilize every tool that we have, whether it’s domestic or internationally, to make sure that not just the United States but our European allies do not suffer too much,” Ross said.

“This is the bottom line. It is Vladimir Putin’s fault that this is happening and we are working with our allies to use every tool in the toolbox to not only defend Ukraine, but to also make sure the international consequences are not too harsh.”

“You know the price of oil is based on what you anticipate demand and supply to be,” said Rep. David Rouzer, who represents North Carolina’s 7th district.

Rouzer went further by saying Biden should open up federal lands in Alaska and reinstate the Keystone Pipeline.

“If he would come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m reversing my policies. We’re shelving the Green New Deal. This is a time of emergency. We’re going to make sure Americans have the most affordable gas possible.’ That would be the best way to do it,” Rouzer said.

Ross said the fact that the leader of a nuclear power has made it clear he wants to go back to the old days of the much larger Soviet Union just reinforces the need for NATO and that the United States is a part of it.

“It further shows the importance of NATO, the importance of our investments, the importance of our troops that we have sent there to shore up NATO, and that the United States is not going to back down,” Ross said.