William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment that closes some loopholes on sanctions that we in the House put on Nord Stream 2 in December.

It is a simple amendment. It extends sanctions to activities that are needed to finish the pipeline and companies that choose to insure the Russian ships that will likely do that work.

These sanctions are necessary to ensure that the Russian Government isn't able to coerce our European friends by controlling their energy supply. We need to close these loopholes as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, we know how Vladimir Putin operates like a two-bit gangster. He only knows corrupt power politics. And Nord Stream 2 is an attempt to increase leverage over Europe, a Europe that is and must remain whole and free.

In addition to Putin's tendencies, we also know that Russia is a petrostate that really only has one industry, oil and gas. We know how Russia uses gas shipments as a power tactic.

How could we forget that they coerced Ukraine with gas cutoffs just a few years ago? They have only gotten worse since then.

Mr. Speaker, I know that some of our European friends oppose sanctions. They are trying to get cheaper energy for their people. I get that. But when Russians come bearing gifts, we should know better than to accept them at face value, not after Crimea, not after Georgia, not after assassinating people all across Europe, sponsoring coups, and attacking our elections.

Now is not the time to be letting the Russians off the hook.
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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Engel, for his comments, and I thank him for his effort to make this amendment better.

This amendment includes all the Foreign Affairs Committee's edits, and it is through his leadership they were able to be tailored to the right targets.

Sanctions are a tough thing to do and to get right. For sanctions to work, they need to bite. These do, but in a tailored, discrete way, thanks to the cooperation of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Financial Services Committee, and the minority.

Additionally, I would like to point out something else. This amendment expands the list of activities that can be sanctioned, from pipe laying to pipeline activities. A wider set of sanctions are needed for Moscow to finish its power grab. These include site prep, trenching, surveying, placing rocks, stringing, bending, et cetera. I was actually surprised when I first heard how many activities were still allowed under the sanctions we passed in December.

Lastly, I also want to thank the chairman for his tireless work to push back on the Russians in defense of our allies and to also thank him for his lifelong work and dedication to this Congress. This is critical work, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in that effort.

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