On the recordMarch 25, 2025
Mr. President, for some reason, the Presiding Officer has drawn the short straw to be the Presiding Officer during my daily or frequent speeches here on the floor, though I appreciate your patience and indulgence. This morning I come to the floor to talk about the Intelligence Committee's ``Worldwide Threats'' hearing that is ongoing now in the Hart Office Building. We have all the leaders of the intelligence community, including the Director of National Intelligence, there. We hold this hearing once a year. It serves as an important reminder of where the United States stands in terms of the rest of the world and what you should be concerned about and what we should protect against. Key among the threats that have been testified to already in open session--and we will be going to a closed, classified session here shortly--but key among the threats discussed this morning was the threat of Russia. Russia is engaged, of course, in an ongoing hot war with Ukraine, a conflict that President Trump is rightly seeking to end. While this is perhaps toward the forefront of many people's minds when they think about Russia, it is not the only threat Russia poses to the West, and I use the term ``West'' advisedly. That is not just the United States. That includes the United States, but it is far broader than that. Some have described--and I think even the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, this morning confirmed--that Russia is engaged in a shadow war against the West.…





