Condemning Poisoning of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1145) condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the resolution.

The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1145

Whereas Alexei Navalny is a well-known anticorruption activist and leader of the political opposition in Russia;

Whereas Mr. Navalny garnered 27 percent of the vote in the 2013 Moscow mayoral election;

Whereas since that election, Mr. Navalny and his party have been repeatedly denied the opportunity to compete in elections;

Whereas Mr. Navalny has been imprisoned multiple times for participating in unsanctioned protests;

Whereas Mr. Navalny was attacked twice with a chemical substance in 2017 and potentially poisoned in 2019 while in prison;

Whereas over the years a number of Russian journalists, human rights activists, politicians, whistleblowers, and others have been killed or died under mysterious circumstances, in Russia and overseas, including--

(1) former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko (in London) and investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006;

(2) human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, journalist Anastasia Baburova, whistleblower lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, and human rights activist Natalya Estemirova in 2009; and

(3) opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in 2015;

Whereas, on August 20, 2020, Mr. Navalny fell ill while on a domestic flight in Russia;

Whereas, on August 22, 2020, Mr. Navalny was evacuated by airlift from Omsk, Russia, to Berlin, Germany, for his protection and to ensure he would receive a high standard of health care to improve his chances of recovery;

Whereas German chemical weapons experts conducted tests and found ``unequivocal'' evidence that Mr. Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-era military-grade chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group;

Whereas specialized laboratories in France and Sweden confirmed that Mr. Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group;

Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has repeatedly denied that Mr. Navalny was poisoned;

Whereas the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has called on the Government of the Russian Federation to open an investigation into Mr. Navalny's case;

Whereas the Russian Federation is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC);

Whereas, in November 2019, after Russian agents used a Novichok-class nerve agent in an attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom in March 2018, CWC parties agreed to add the Novichok group of nerve agents to ``Schedule 1'', a list of chemicals classified as chemical warfare agents that are subject to declaration requirements and other restrictions;

Whereas, on September 4, 2020, NATO strongly condemned the attack on Mr. Navalny and called on the Russian Federation to cooperate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on an impartial, international investigation;

Whereas the G7 foreign ministers issued a statement on September 8, 2020, that called on the Government of the Russian Federation ``to urgently and fully establish transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent poisoning attack and, bearing in mind Russia's commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring the perpetrators to justice'';

Whereas the Russian Federation is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

Whereas Article 6 of the ICCPR states that ``Every human being has the inherent right to life'' and ``No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life'';

Whereas Article 9 of the ICCPR states that ``Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person.'';

Whereas the Russian Federation is a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);

Whereas respect for human rights is key to the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security and therefore the OSCE monitors the human rights situation in its 57 participating states;

Whereas pressure on Germany to reconsider its support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from the United States and international community, including many European Union countries, as well as from leading politicians within Germany, has grown since the attack on Mr. Navalny;

Whereas Congress passed the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of Public Law 112-208) and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) in 2016 to provide the United States Government with authorities to respond to grave violations of human rights and corruption in Russia; and

Whereas in response to the Novichok-class nerve agent attack described in this preamble against United Kingdom national and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018, the United States Government imposed two rounds of sanctions on Russia pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-182; 22 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.): Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) condemns the apparently purposeful poisoning on August 20, 2020, of Russian anticorruption activist and opposition leader Alexei Navalny;

(2) expresses its appreciation for the prompt and generous efforts of the Cinema for Peace Foundation and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany to ensure high-quality health care for Mr. Navalny after he was poisoned by facilitating his transfer by airlift from Russia to Germany;

(3) welcomes reports that Mr. Navalny has emerged from a medically induced coma and is gradually recovering from the poisoning;

(4) hopes for Mr. Navalny's full and complete recovery so that he may promptly resume his life and work;

(5) urges the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and multilateral human rights monitoring bodies to monitor the case of the August 2020 poisoning of Alexei Navalny as a probable violation of his fundamental human rights and to respond accordingly;

(6) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to cooperate with independent, impartial, and thorough investigations by competent authorities and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of the reported poisoning of Alexei Navalny;

(7) calls on the United States Government to support international or multilateral efforts to ensure an independent, impartial, and thorough investigations by competent authorities and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of the reported poisoning of Alexei Navalny;

(8) urges the United States Government, in all its interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation, to raise the case of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and underscore the necessity of bringing the organizers and perpetrators to justice;

(9) calls on the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to use their authority under the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of Public Law 112-208) and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) to designate individuals whom they determine upon investigation to have been involved in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny as perpetrators, organizers, or masterminds, on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury, freezing their assets and making them ineligible to receive United States visas; and

(10) supports the 60-day review period triggered by the submission of a letter to the President by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives to investigate whether the poisoning of Alexei Navalny constitutes use of a chemical weapon by the Government of the Russian Federation in contravention of international law, and if so, to impose sanctions pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-182; 22 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.).

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Res. 1145.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I want to thank Mr. McGovern for his leadership and hard work.

In recent years, a number of Russian journalists, human rights activists, politicians, whistleblowers, and others have been killed or died under very mysterious circumstances in Russia and overseas. The poisoning of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, is yet another horrific example of the ruthlessness under President Putin's government.

I am proud to support this bipartisan resolution which condemns the brutal poisoning of Mr. Navalny on August 20, 2020, calls for U.S. support for a credible and impartial international investigation into the attack, and urges sanctions against those responsible. It is important that the House go on record in a bipartisan way to send a clear and unequivocal message to the Kremlin that we reject their criminal tactics and we will demand accountability. There must be consequences for this egregious act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC, November 13, 2020. Hon. Eliot Engel, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H. Res. 1145, the ``Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response.'' In order to permit H. Res. 1145 to proceed expeditiously to the House Floor, I agree to forgo formal consideration of the bill.

The Committee on Financial Services takes this action to forego formal consideration of H. Res. 1145 in light of the mutually agreed changes to provisions within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Financial Services. We are also doing so based on our mutual understanding that, by foregoing formal consideration of H. Res. 1145 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar legislation moves forward with regard to any matters in the Committee's jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation that involves the Committee's jurisdiction and request your support for any such request.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding, and I would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration of H. Res. 1145. Sincerely, Maxine Waters, Chairwoman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, November 11, 2020. Hon. Maxine Waters, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman Waters: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.

I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Financial Services under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I also acknowledge that your Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar legislation moves forward, and will support the appointment of Committee on Financial Services conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this legislation.

Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Eliot L. Engel, Chairman. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Reform, Washington, DC, November 13, 2020. Hon. Eliot L. Engel, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Engel: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 1145, condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response. There are certain provisions in the legislation which fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

In the interest of permitting your Committee to proceed expeditiously on this bill, I am willing to waive this Committee's right to sequential referral. I do so with the understanding that by waiving consideration of the bill, the Committee on Oversight and Reform does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill which fall within its Rule X jurisdiction. I request that you urge the Speaker to name Members of this Committee to any conference committee which is named to consider such provisions.

Please place this letter into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked regarding this matter and others between our respective Committees. Sincerely, Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, November 11, 2020. Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney, Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman Maloney: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.

I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of House Committee on Oversight and Reform conferees during any House- Senate conference convened on this legislation.

Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Eliot L. Engel, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, November 10, 2020. Hon. Eliot Engel, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Engel: I write concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response. There are certain provisions in this legislation that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

In order to expedite floor consideration of H. Res. 1145, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to forgo action on the bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to name members of this Committee to any conference committee which is named to consider such provisions.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the committee report on H. Res. 1145 and into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Sincerely, Peter A. DeFazio, Chair. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, November 11, 2020. Hon. Peter DeFazio, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman DeFazio: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.

I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this legislation.

Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Eliot L. Engel, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, November 17, 2020. Hon. Eliot L. Engel, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Engel: In recognition of the desire to expedite consideration of H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response, the Committee on Ways and Means agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means.

The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H. Res. 1145. Sincerely, Richard E. Neal, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, November 11, 2020. Hon. Richard E. Neal, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Neal: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and international response, including security and economic components of the relationship. I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation.

I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of Committee on Ways and Means conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this legislation.

Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Eliot L. Engel, Chairman.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to begin by thanking my good friend, Chairman McGovern, for sponsoring this important resolution. I am very proud to be one of its cosponsors.

Both Mr. McGovern and I co-chair the Lantos Human Rights Commission, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have been trying for years to hold Russia to account for these kinds of despicable displays where, as was pointed out by my good friend from New York, very visible opposition leaders and others have been targeted by the Russian regime for poisoning and other kinds of deadly deeds. So I want to thank him for, again, bringing our attention and the House's attention to this additional terrible misdeed by Vladimir Putin.

Each of us in this House, I believe, were appalled to learn that Mr. Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-era chemical nerve agent. Of course, we are relieved that he seems to be doing well, but that doesn't in any way mitigate the terrible act that was committed to try to kill him. We are not surprised though. Just 2 years ago, the same chemical nerve agent was used in an attack on United Kingdom soil against former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal. The attack severely injured him, his daughter, and a police officer, and also cost the life of an innocent British citizen.

Moreover, since Putin came to power, as was pointed out a moment ago, numerous Russian journalists, human rights activists, opposition leaders, whistleblowers, and others who opposed his regime have been murdered or died in mysterious circumstances.

As noted in the resolution, Ranking Member McCaul and Chairman Engel wrote a letter to the President after the attack to request an investigation into whether Russia had, once again, used a lethal chemical weapon in violation of international law.

Pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, this request started the clock on a 60-day evaluation period to make such a determination. Unfortunately, the deadline has passed, so we respectfully--all of us--ask the administration to release the findings of its investigation and to do so without any delay.

If it is determined, as we suspect, that the Putin regime is behind the attack, then additional U.S. sanctions must be imposed. His regime must be held accountable for resorting to such cruel and barbaric methods to silence his critics.

I was glad to see the E.U. support a Franco-German plan to impose sanctions on Russians suspected to be behind Mr. Navalny's poisoning. I also continue to hope that our German friends will heed the growing calls around Europe and within Germany since the attack to reconsider their support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution. Again, I want to thank Chairman McGovern for authoring it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Congressman McGovern for his hard work on this resolution. I strongly support this measure and urge all the Members to do the same.

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