Pappas Calls on Biden to Protect U.S. Economy and Consumers form Impacts of Russian Invasion

Press Release

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) called on President Joe Biden to take all measures necessary to ensure that Vladimir Putin's premeditated, illegal invasion of Ukraine does not derail the momentum of the U.S. economy's recovery and maintain the historic economic gains being made following the pandemic's economic downturn.

In a letter to President Biden, Pappas wrote: "Russia's premeditated invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world. My thoughts are with the Ukrainian people needlessly put in harm's way by Vladimir Putin's violation of international law and determination to dictate a sovereign nation's future by force."

Pappas continued: "While we must use every tool to punish Russia, your Administration must also use every tool to shield the American people and our economy from being adversely impacted as a result of Russia's actions in Ukraine."

Pappas highlighted a number of proposals to ensure that America's economy can weather the geopolitical and economic storm caused by Russia's unwarranted invasion of Ukraine. These include: releasing inventory from our Heating Oil and Petroleum Reserves to lower energy costs, taking all possible actions to mitigate the potential rise in domestic food prices including releasing American Rescue Plan funds earmarked to help lower meat prices, protect businesses, governments, and individuals from the risk of Russian cyberattacks by shoring up our cyber security infrastructure and releasing funds dedicated to bolstering cyber security defenses passed through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment to Jobs Act, and protecting domestic manufacturing and supply chains by working to pass and sign into law the America COMPETES Act as quickly as possible.

The letter concludes: "As we continue to recover from the pandemic while confronting the threat posed by Russia's aggression abroad and the subsequent inflationary and supply chain challenges, I urge your Administration to do all it can to mitigate the economic consequences of this geopolitical upheaval."

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

On February 22nd, Pappas called for sanctions on Russia following its annexation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine. Last week, Pappas also called for sanctions against Russia should Vladimir Putin invade Ukraine and urged unity among NATO allies in standing against Vladimir Putin.

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