On the recordMarch 1, 2022
I, too, join my colleague, Representative Thompson, in remembering and feeling very blessed to have known Jim Hagedorn, our colleague and friend, and I pray for his family. Mr. Speaker, on this day we need to discuss the fact that Vladimir Putin is absolutely stunned by the courage and resolve of the Ukrainian people. After 6 to 7 days of fighting, Ukraine controls most of its major cities including the city that my family is from, Lviv. The Russian people are protesting their leader's unprovoked aggression seeing, as the world sees, that this is Putin's war alone. We must do more. Our crippling sanctions are strongly hurting the Russian economy. But, Mr. Speaker, we must recognize this conflict is where energy is both the carrot and the stick. We must hit Putin where it hurts, by cutting off imports of Russian oil to the United States, unleashing U.S. energy, and ensuring Nord Stream 2 never goes into effect. Putin can't be trusted. This is understood. His prior interest in diplomacy was insincere. We must show leadership. We must provide the weapons that, by the way, were provided by the Ukrainian Parliament. ____________________
