Political Quotes

“I wish to speak in support of Chairman Meeks' Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, of which I am an original cosponsor. While so much of the world's attention is rightfully focused on Russia's atrocities in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and his minions are also at work elsewhere around the world. This is especially true in Africa, where we see the extensive presence of Russian Private Military Contractors, or PMCs, in particular the notorious Wagner Group, and extensive Russian entanglement in countries with mining and strategic mineral reserves. In some cases, such as in the Central African Republic, we see mines guarded by Wagner Group mercenaries. Wagner Group PMCs are said to have also appeared recently in Sudan, where there had been earlier reports of Russia seeking a naval base. We have also seen Wagner mercenaries implicated in atrocities in Mali, which seems to have taken a bizarre turn recently, with France accusing Russia of staging a false flag operation seeking to implicate the French. Thus, the Chairman's bill is especially timely, and can serve as a template for other bills addressing Russian involvement around the world, including the Western Hemisphere, as came up during our markup. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7311, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore.…”