Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. Haiti Development, Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative Act; Providing for Consideration of H.J. Res. Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Suspending Energy Imports From Russia Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DOGGETT. This rule makes proper for our consideration legislation that I have offered to respond to the brutal aggression of Vladimir Putin destroying, hour by hour, Ukraine, and its people, with death and destruction.

I am pleased to hear from the gentleman from Oklahoma that he supports this legislation because it will be stronger if we are united in sending this message.

Like so many Americans, I have watched the horrors in Ukraine. I have seen the people standing with their blue and yellow Ukraine banners and flags on the steps of the State capitol in Austin day after day, rain and shine, to express their concern.

And like them, and like so many of us of all political persuasions, we wonder what we can do to prevent what is happening that we see played out, in real time, on our televisions?

Well, in my case, it has been advocating that we get all of the weapons that Ukrainians need to defend themselves to them yesterday. Immediately.

But to recognize that to put a squeeze on the Russian empire, we should respond with the most effective sanctions that we can. One of those sanctions arising out of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee is the ability to respond with reference to the World Trade Organization and Russia.

The week before last, I introduced with Mr. Blumenauer, the chairman of that subcommittee, legislation concerning the trade status of the Russian Federation.

The legislation that I introduced yesterday that this rule puts into effect is different from that, and I will discuss that in the course of our consideration of the bill.

But it continues to urge the expelling of Russia from the World Trade Organization, which I think we should do to attempt to isolate as completely as we can Russia from any benefits from the world economy.

To see now one American-owned company closing down hundreds of its locations throughout Russia, one American company, including some of the big oil companies withdrawing from the Russian Federation, they are acting in a way that supports what we need to do--put Russia in an economic vise.

I believe that there is much more that we need to accomplish but that we respond today on the number one issue on the world agenda, and that is what is happening in Ukraine and what we can do to prevent it.

Now, I understand some people continue to have their own ideological agenda to defend and ignore the climate crisis, deny climate science, and promote more and more fossil fuels.

They choose the Keystone pipeline, which is exactly 8 percent completed. It uses the dirtiest form of oil in the tar sands.

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Mr. DOGGETT. From the cold tar sands of Canada, completing the Keystone pipeline will not save one Ukrainian life nor will the adoption of the rest of their agenda.

Let me just say, I have only one agenda in this matter, and that is to respond to the aggression and do all we can to try to stop the brutal attacks unprovoked on the Ukrainian people.

I am very pleased that this legislation that I introduced yesterday incorporates the good work of Chairman McGovern on the Global Magnitsky Act.

That is legislation that fits so well with what I have been urging about Russia because it combats human rights abuses there and all over the world.

He has strengthened the provisions of the Global Magnitsky Act, which would have expired at the end of this year. By incorporating it, it fits well with our agenda to respond to Russian aggression and human rights abuses that are going on as people are being murdered as we speak today.

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