Bill Keating

The level of cooperation with China and Russia really reaching unprecedented highs

Forging a united coalition with our democratic allies and partners to confront the autocrats in Moscow and in Beijing is a national security imperative.

Recommendations are one thing, but hearing from both the Secretary of Defense and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs that you support that effort too is so important.

I think it really underscores the importance of our committee having this hearing and the fact that this is an international issue and not just a domestic issue.

No person should ever feel threatened based on who they are, what they believe, or who they love.

I commend the Biden Administration for making it a U.S. policy to lead by the power of our example.

Now we, the United States, as an historic leader for human rights globally, must make it clear that LGBTQI+ rights are universal.

I am proud to stand with the human rights activists and defenders, fighting for this cause.

Despite sanctions, we have seen an escalation of attacks--cyber attacks in our country, disrupting the food production chain, disrupting our energy chain, and I have great concerns about that expanding to healthcare institutions as well…

The U.S. has to be in a leadership role in this regard, I think, to make progress.

I have legislation also in the CROOK Act, and I'm glad you mentioned President Putin because in Russia, as we know, this kind of nonactor activity would not go on without the knowledge or the tacit approval of Russia.

Nord Stream 2 makes Germany a weaker ally for the United States and that means the United States have to carry even more of the water in European security.

I agree. I think it's important to work with our allies in this regard, but not to wait for our allies to move on this.

It's really important that it's implemented properly, and I hope that members of your committee will be really holding the U.S. Treasury and FinCEN's feet to the fire.

We need to keep dirty money out of our politics, out of our decisionmaking, and it's good for us whether or not it has an effect on Putin.

Thank you, Dr. Weber, and thanks for underscoring the point, too, that today's hearing and much of what we talk about is not about the Russian people themselves.

And it's, therefore, my hope that with the information gleaned today, we can continue working together to raise our resilience and combat Putin's kleptocric system.

This ongoing attack by the Putin regime on Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty's operation in Russia, is an example of how the autocrat in the Kremlin will use any means necessary to silence voices he cannot control.

It must be the policy of the United States to continue opposing this geopolitical weapon and I urge this administration to immediately remove the waivers that spared Nord Stream 2 AG, the company, its CEO, and its corporate officers from…

Anti-corruption measures must be at the forefront of our foreign policy strategy, as dirty money impoverishes everyday citizens from its origin and it stains its destination.

You know, just in the last couple of days we had a landmark decision affecting U.S. energy policy here in the United States with the record of decision on Vineyard Wind.

I think I made it clear, you know, that, even as a person with Irish heritage--my grandparents emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. I am speaking as an American, however, when I want to just point to the fact there is great pride in what the…

The United States really insisting on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement with that one would be excellent.

I thank the ranking member for his comments, and also for the bipartisan spirit he demonstrated in those, and to really send a signal to everyone, that on the issue of Ireland, that we are together across the aisle.

I cannot recall one instance meeting with Irish officials when the sincere gratitude for what they term to us, the indispensable U.S. involvement in the Good Friday Agreement was not expressed.