On the recordJune 8, 2021
Mr. President, I want to begin by thanking my colleagues: Senator Schumer, Senator Wicker, and Senator Cantwell. All showed exceptional leadership over the course of drafting this legislation and ensuring that it made it through the process. I also want to thank members of my team: Lauren O'Brien, my legislative director; Brandt Anderson, my national security adviser; Dan Cheever; Nancy Martinez, on my ledge staff. They went above and beyond. So this piece of legislation, yes, it, indeed, is related to countering the threat that the Chinese Communist Party presents to this country. But it also is a piece of legislation that we are considering at a time when so many of our citizens feel overlooked, when the intimate communities that they call home feel hollowed out, when trust in our civic institutions is eroding, and when allegiance seems increasingly to our political tribes and not to one another on behalf of the common good. So let's not kid ourselves. The Chinese Communist Party aims to exploit all of these divisions. They aim to exploit the insecurities of the global age. They aim to ensure that their power and their capabilities continue to grow. And they are, indeed, locked in a global competition with the United States of America and with our partners and allies. So let's do what we have always done as Americans in times like this. Let's come together, and let's use this as an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves. I will end with this.…
Source
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