Ted Poe: “I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for their support on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I was…”

“I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for their support on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I was in Georgia in 2008 when the Russians invaded that sovereign country and took one-fifth of their nation away from them. I saw the Russian tanks on the hill, and, unfortunately, many years later, those Russian tanks are still on the hills of Georgia. Russia is a cancer in the area. It is trying to infiltrate countries in the region, trying to spread its propaganda and conquering ideas to the former Soviet Republics. Russian troops maintain a stranglehold on the occupied territories of Georgia. Russians have forced ethnic Georgians to leave and have forbidden everyone who still lives there from speaking the Georgian language or from traveling to Georgia. The illegal Russian occupation of Georgia is not a simple matter of territory--it is an attack on ideas; it is an assault on the very freedoms and liberties that are God given. Georgia is a small and young democracy despite the rough neighborhood that it lives in--surrounded by corrupt dictators, including Russia. In fact, over the past 25 years, Georgia has become the freest nation in the region. It has championed good governance, economic reform, and democracy while combating corruption and ensuring press freedom. This is no small achievement. I have met with the first Georgian Government and the second Georgian Government and have met with many of their officials.…”