OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act

Floor Speech

Date: March 17, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, I introduced the centerpiece of today's legislation with Congressman Blumenauer. It denied Russia preferential trade treatment and would expel it from the World Trade Organization.

At that time, 3 weeks ago, there was hope that economic sanctions like this might limit the extent of Putin's brutal aggression. Now we have seen that economic sanctions are having no immediate impact to limit the slaughter from Putin's war of annihilation against Ukraine.

Uniting the world to isolate Russia has weakened the ruble, certainly, but it has not stopped Putin from reducing so much of Ukraine to rubble.

While I favor excluding every possible Russian import, this bill will grant President Biden appropriate authority to raise tariffs significantly on any Russian import that is permitted, and the same for Belarus.

This is largely the same bill on which I sought action last week until President Biden requested a delay.

Surprisingly, this bill does not include the ban on Russian energy imports that this House approved overwhelmingly last week on the bill that we considered then. I hope that ban will be restored in further work on the legislation.

Though important to finally approve this bill as another way to isolate Russia, we should recognize there is no substitute for getting Ukrainians all of the weaponry that they have requested, including jet fighters, to stop the mass murder we observe daily.

The financial pain imposed won't immediately ease the pain of Ukrainian families. They are paying in blood while we pay in dollars, but it is one way for us to hold Putin accountable and to act in solidarity with them.

To those who ask that we adopt further sanctions or more weapons only if Russia does something more, I say what more barbaric butchery need we see before doing everything we possibly can, short of sending troops into Ukraine. The time to do everything is now, the time to provide for Ukrainian refugees to enter our country is now.

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