The Endangered Species Act works. Ninety-nine percent of species listed have avoided extinction, as we just heard.

I would remind anybody here, or listening abroad that this is a hearing on the Russian Federation and its proxies.

We have a moral obligation to be good stewards of our nation's rich wildlife and ensure we can share these iconic species with generations of Americans to come.

African nations have choices, as we were just discussing South Africa, South Africans have choices, and we will always respect the sovereignty.

With a dramatically-changing climate and growing aggression from other nations, the Arctic has never been more central to America's national security.

This hearing is not about putting up guardrails, it is about ripping away a safety net.

Specifically with South Africa, the Putin visit with the Lady R situation, and also military exercises on the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion are very problematic.

I really am concerned about the recent attacks on the ESA that we are seeing in the Congress.

It is essential that Congress continues to invest in the Coast Guard's capabilities in the Arctic.

The fallacy of these claims is clear, it is on display as they hold this forum just 1 week after bringing the Black Sea Grain Initiative to an end.

I am curious on how we are going to pay for this. Last I checked, we have a major deficit in this country, and I have yet to hear any explanation of how we are paying with this.

If we agree that Russia and their proxies are bad choices, I do not believe that we should allow it to be their only choice.

The finger waving foreign policy is doing no one any good. We need more engagement, not isolation.

We have got to stop letting the agencies run with these. We have to follow the law.

Even President Obama understood this much when his Administration determined in 2012 that DACA recipients should not be eligible for Medicaid.

But the American people have choice as well, and if communities around the world expect the American taxpayer to help, then there should be some sort of mutual benefit to include respect for the rule of law, respect for democracy, and of…

If there is any individual that believes in stripping Medicaid from DACA recipients, I would like to know if they are willing to give the $6.6 billion that DACA recipients pay in Federal taxes back to them.

I think ESA has been a critical tool. But I think it is important to recognize how we can further strengthen by doing some things ahead of time, like RAWA, which I want to work with all of my colleagues in before species need to be listed.