Political Quotes

“on PNTR, as President Biden begins the most important foreign trip of his Presidency, the best thing the Senate can do this week is pass PNTR legislation to land another devastating blow on Putin's economy. Over the past few weeks, Republicans have complained that President Biden hasn't acted quickly enough against Putin. Yet for the past few days, they have stymied swift action on PNTR, despite the fact that the House approved it 424 to 8, with Leader McCarthy supporting it. In particular, the senior Senator from Idaho has sought to amend the bill to include an oil ban. We are willing to work with Senator Crapo to address his concerns, but there are a few reasons we should move quickly with PNTR. First, President Biden has already implemented a ban on Russian oil and gas. So passing this legislation is not a priority the way PNTR is. Second, there remain serious questions about whether the proposal from Republicans would delay the ban on buying Russian oil for a period of time. This is a consequence no one wants. Senator Manchin brought this up when he saw the language, and it is something that we have to make certain that this proposal isn't weaker than what the President has put into effect. Third, showing unity, particularly at this time when the President is meeting with our European allies, is especially important. Finally, the House is not in session. Any changes we make to the PNTR legislation delays enactment by at least a week.…”