Political Quotes

“The majority leader is invited to the Arctic at any time of his choosing. January is a fine time. Mr. President, I do share with colleagues--they hear it from me quite frequently--that the United States is an Arctic nation. Hailing from the fine State of Georgia, in the South, the Presiding Officer might not think or appreciate the role that your State plays in the Arctic, but each of our 50 States--each of our 50 States--sees benefit, sees opportunity because we are an Arctic nation. And we are an Arctic nation by virtue of the fact that, in my home State of Alaska, parts of it sit above the Arctic Circle. It is our status as a nation. It is our good fortune, I think, as a nation. We have opportunities to come together as Arctic nations and work on its common challenges and shared opportunities, and we had such an opportunity just a couple of weeks back when, here in Washington, DC, we were able to be an Arctic host nation in welcoming the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region for our conference. We held it here in the Capitol. I think many have heard of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council is the governing body. It is the primary institution for intergovernmental cooperation in the Arctic. You may know that, currently, as of this moment, the Arctic Council is chaired by Russia. Obviously, it is very challenging right now, at a time when Russia is engaged in this horrible war against Ukraine.…”