Gregory Meeks: “I thank Mr. Espaillat, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). I also thank Representative Kinzinger for…”

“I thank Mr. Espaillat, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). I also thank Representative Kinzinger for his support and his collaboration in working collectively to bring this bill to the floor for a vote. The reason for this bill is actually very simple. Congress must be clear that Russia cannot be part of the G7 while it does all it can to undermine democracies, including our own. What they are doing is inflaming some of the biggest challenges that face the global community today. Congress has an oversight responsibility here, and this bill simply makes that clear. Through its actions, today's Russia continues to prove that it does not intend to be a part of the global solution. Moscow interferes in democratic processes across the globe, suppresses and poisons opposition, and wreaks havoc in emerging nations in Europe--Ukraine and Georgia being the most recent targets where they still remain, holding sovereign land. The list is long. Yet, I am concerned that the President of the United States has repeatedly expressed his inclination to bring Russia back to the G7. He has called it commonsense to include Russia. It is not as long as they continue to behave the way they are. It is crucial that the American taxpayer should not pay for this bizarre and harmful courtship of Putin's Russia, the same Russia that puts bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan. Of course, we should have lines of strategic communications open with Moscow.…”