Executive Calendar
Floor Speech
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Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I come to add my voice to that of Mr. Cruz, the Senator from Texas, about Joe Biden's surrender to Vladimir Putin.
Energy is called the master resource for a reason. It powers our country, powers our military, powers this Nation, powers the economy. And yet Joe Biden, on his first day in office, seemed to take us from a nation of energy dominance to energy dependence, canceling the Keystone Pipeline and now approving this pipeline, Nord Stream 2.
I come to add my voice to all of those, and there are many who have spoken out against the President in expressing our deep concerns about this administration's unwillingness to fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline and to allow it to move ahead.
I am sure Senator Cruz, as part of his discussion this afternoon, will talk about the confirmation hearing of Tony Blinken to be Secretary of State. We asked him specifically about the pipeline, and he said he would stop it, no matter what. Even though it was down to the last--I think he may have said--100 yards, they would stop it.
That is not what happened. We saw Joe Biden surrender.
For years, we have been sounding the alarm about this Russian trap.
This pipeline, who built it?
Gazprom.
Who are they?
They are the Russian state-owned natural gas monopoly.
We have all quoted and, in the past, have heard Senator McCain talk about Russia, a country acting as a gas station or a gas station acting as a country. I think one time he went on to say that Russia was a Mafia-run gas company disguised as a country.
This dangerous pipeline is going to double the amount of Russian natural gas going to Germany via the Baltic Sea. Completion of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline is going to further tighten its grip on European gas supplies and extend the threatening influence because, as I said before, energy is the master resource.
We know Russia uses energy to coerce and to manipulate. They use it as a geopolitical weapon. They coerce and manipulate our allies and our partners in Europe. Many of our NATO allies--Germany, in particular--are becoming dependent upon and addicted to Russian gas. Europe already gets 40 to 45 percent of its gas imports from Russia. The new export pipeline helps Russia undermine Europe's efforts to diversify energy sources, suppliers, as well as the routes.
Nord Stream 2 makes Europe more energy dependent on Russia and, of course, more prone to Russian influence. At the same time, it is going to further fuel Russian aggression, Russian intimidation, and Russian instability across Europe.
Putin is a powerful foe who aims to divide Europe and to destroy the NATO alliance. He has been broadcasting those plans. This is not a surprise. The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline would mean a massive money transfer from our NATO allies straight into the Kremlin's coffers. This means more resources to put toward Russia's destabilizing activities.
And we continue to see an increase in these destabilizing activities. Russia occupies territory in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. Russia launched a military buildup on Ukraine's border. Russia poisoned and then imprisoned a political opposition leader. Russian hackers are creating economic chaos by disrupting American supply chains.
Russia could use these cash reserves in what way? Well, a way to fund aggression in Europe and around the world. And it is interesting that Putin even funds environmental activists in Europe to shut down energy where they would be exploring for natural gas and oil. He wants environmental activists to protest any efforts for the European countries to develop their own gas resources so he can hold them hostage in this way as well.
Well, President Biden's weakness on Putin's pipeline is going to have serious consequences, not just the financial ones for Russia and not just those in Europe but worldwide. And for our security and for the security of our allies, I believe we must stop this Nord Stream 2 Pipeline.
That is why Congress has overwhelmingly, this body, passed several pieces of bipartisan legislation. You know, people say to me: Can't you do anything in a bipartisan way in Congress anymore?
I would say: Well, we certainly did when it came to the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. We passed bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions on this very project.
Yet, this administration, the Biden administration--the surrendering Biden administration--is unwilling to implement the laws that are on the books. President Biden waived congressionally mandated sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, which is the company overseeing the pipeline construction. By using a national interest waiver, this administration gave Russia the green light to speed ahead to completion of this pipeline.
Look, there is strong opposition to President Biden's deliberate failure to follow the law when it comes to this pipeline and the supply of energy from Russia to Europe.
Hon. Joseph Biden, President of the United States, The White House, Washington, DC.
Dear President Biden: We write to express our deep concern about the refusal of the Administration to impose sanctions on entities involved in the Nord Stream II pipeline. With construction on the project currently taking place, there is publicly available information on vessels and companies engaging in sanctionable activities. The failure of the Administration to identify and impose new sanctions signals its willingness to allow President Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe's gas supplies and increase its geopolitical leverage. We call on the Administration to correct its misguided actions by quickly and fully implementing the sanctions mandated by U.S. law.
The Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA), as amended by the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Clarification Act (PEESCA), mandates sanctions on the companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream II pipeline. The law requires sanctions against entities installing pipes, engaging in pipelaying activities. or insuring or certifying that installation, those activities, and other activities associated with the pipeline. As construction is under way, time is of the essence. The United States must act now to prevent the pipeline from being completed.
For years, it has been the policy of the United States to oppose the Nord Stream II pipeline, which would carry natural gas from Russia across the Baltic Sea to Germany. The intent of Congress is crystal clear. Congress overwhelmingly passed several pieces of bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions on this project including the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), PEESA, and PEESCA. The Administration cannot turn a blind eye to those who violate our laws. We request the Administration utilize all of the tools at its disposal to implement additional sanctions immediately, especially the most recent round of sanctions in PEESCA that both houses of Congress urgently and repeatedly passed last year.
On February 19, 2021, the Administration submitted a congressionally mandated report on entities actively supporting, assisting, and working with those involved in the Nord Stream II pipeline. The Administration made the troubling decision to identify only the Russian pipelaying vessel Fortuna and its owner KVT-RUS, both of which were already sanctioned under the Trump Administration in January. The report also listed 18 entities which have ended their involvement in the project, due to the extensive diplomatic efforts of the Trump Administration to wind down their activities. This completely inadequate report undermines the bipartisan efforts of Congress and previous Administrations by not listing the other vessels involved in pipelaying and pipelaying activities as well as companies providing insurance and certification services.
We call on you to fix this error by immediately identifying and sanctioning the additional entities without delay. While sanctions are being quickly processed on individuals and companies, we ask you to formally notify these entities of the forthcoming sanctions and call on them to stop their work on the Nord Stream II pipeline. In addition, PEESCA also mandates consultation with our allies, which must be conducted and concluded expeditiously.
As you have previously stated, the Nord Stream II pipeline is a ``bad deal for Europe.'' This point has been clearly demonstrated by Europe's growing opposition to the project. On January 21, 2021, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed, by a vote of 581-50, a resolution calling on the European Union to immediately stop the completion of the Nord Stream II pipeline. Previously, on December 12, 2018, the European Parliament passed a resolution describing the Nord Stream II pipeline as a ``political project that poses a threat to European energy security'' that should be cancelled. It passed by a vote of 433-105.
The Nord Stream II pipeline makes American allies and partners in Europe more susceptible to Moscow's coercion and malign influence. It would reinforce Russia's near-monopoly and control of natural gas in the region. In addition, the project would weaken efforts to diversify Europe's energy sources, suppliers and routes. The Nord Stream II pipeline would also provide Russia an opportunity to damage the economy of Ukraine and to further its aggressive actions in the region.
We appreciate your statements as well as those made by members of the Administration publicly opposing the Nord Stream II pipeline. It is now time to act. It is critical that the United States enforce our laws and hold those entities accountable for assisting Russia in building this dangerous pipeline. Sincerely, John Barrasso, James E. Risch, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz, Cynthia Lummis, James M. Inhofe, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Kevin Cramer, Marco Rubio, John Hoeven, Tom Cotton, Shelley Moore Capito, John Boozman, Cindy Hyde- Smith, John Thune, Roger F. Wicker, James Lankford, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, John Kennedy, Ben Sasse, Thom Tillis, Roger Marshall, M.D., Charles E. Grassley, Susan M. Collins, Bill Hagerty, Mike Braun, Mike Crapo, M. Michael Rounds, Jerry Moran, Bill Cassidy, M.D., Tim Scott, John Cornyn, Dan Sullivan, Mitt Romney, Deb Fischer, Todd Young, Rob Portman, United States Senators.
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Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, in this letter, signed by 40 Senators, we called out the Biden administration for refusing to impose sanctions on entities involved in the construction of this very pipeline.
It is a lengthy letter, and I am not going to read the whole thing, but let me point out, the letter says this:
The failure of [this] Administration to identify and impose new sanctions signals its willingness to allow President Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe's gas [supply] and increase its geopolitical leverage. We call on the Administration to correct its misguided actions by quickly and fully implementing the sanctions mandated by U.S. law.
It has been over 6 months, and President Biden still refuses to follow the law. Through his inaction, President Biden is gifting Russia a new geopolitical weapon.
And one of the things I found most astonishing, in terms of this administration taking us from energy dominance to energy dependence, is what happened just last month. The Biden administration, seeing the impact of rising energy costs and rising gasoline costs--people in Wyoming paying more than $25 extra every time they fill their tank compared to the day that President Biden came into office--he said: We need to do something.
His National Security Advisor actually went to say: We need to ask OPEC Plus to produce more oil and to produce more energy.
Well, who is OPEC Plus? Well, it is Saudi Arabia, and it is Russia. In our Energy Committee, of which I am the ranking member, Senator Murkowski, the Senator from Alaska, came to the committee and told members of the committee that currently the United States is using more energy produced from Russia than it is from her home State of Alaska. What does that tell you about this administration and the commitment of this administration to energy needs in this country--in our own country?
It is very disturbing to see the President act in such a reckless way regarding our Nation, our economy, and our energy security, and continuing to give gifts like this to our enemies. It is much better to sell energy to our friends than have to buy energy from our enemies, but that is what appeared on the White House website, put there by the National Security Advisor to the President just last month, asking Saudi Arabia and OPEC Plus to produce more energy to help lower the cost at the pump for people in the United States here at home.
Well, why do you think we have it, Mr. President? You killed the Keystone XL Pipeline and put a longstanding moratorium now on gas production on Federal lands, which continues. There still has not been a lease sale since the day you signed that Executive order and the day you came into office.
We need to force the President to act on this critical issue of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. Yesterday--just yesterday--the U.S. House of Representatives--the body down the hall, with Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House, the House of Representatives--passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act imposing new mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2. It would repeal the national interest waiver for sanctions under existing law. Look, this is an incredibly important step, and I would look forward to it quickly becoming law.
Protecting this Russian trap that they have laid for the Germans and for Europe--the noose around the neck, the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline--it is in our national security interest to block that, but yet this administration is not doing it, and I believe it is a grave mistake on the part of this administration.
While President Biden has failed to do the right thing, there is still time. The administration can reverse course and fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. And if President Biden refuses, Congress is prepared to take strong actions to protect the energy security of our Nation and our allies.
And with that, I thank Senator Cruz for allowing me to join in support of the comments that he is making. We have been wonderful partners, and other Members on the floor, in a bipartisan way, with a specific focus on what is happening with Russia and its efforts to undermine the United States, to undermine NATO, and to try to go back to, as they have said, put the band back together--reestablish the former Soviet Union, which Vladimir Putin has stated is his goal all along.
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