Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I join with Chairman Neal in urging the House to take the final legislative step to ending the flow of American dollars toward Russian oil that acts as a treasury for Russia's war machine. Soon, President Biden will have on his desk a bill that demonstrates we stand with the people of Ukraine. As Chairman Neal pointed out, the Ukrainian people have been waiting. The action we take today is long overdue but just as necessary. Since we first debated this bill, the horrors of Putin's war in Ukraine have been on display for the world to see. Today, we will make sure American dollars will no longer fund Russia's war machine by blocking all Russian energy imports. The bill also strengthens the sanctions by ensuring that before the ban can be lifted, Russia must meet three clear criteria: withdraws its forces from Ukraine; poses no immediate military threat of aggression to NATO; and recognizes the right of the people of Ukraine to independently and freely choose their own government. This is an important, bipartisan victory. There is still more we can do and should do. We should turn toward unleashing America's own ability to be energy independent, replace Russian oil with American sources, and use our energy strengths to wean the world from Russian energy. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), the Republican leader of the Subcommittee on Trade.”