A bill entitled "United States International Programming to Ukraine and Neighboring Regions".

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2183, a bill to provide surge news broadcasts to the people of Ukraine and the surrounding region, in order to counter Russian propaganda.

I want to, again, concur with everything that Chairman Royce said. I agree with every word he mentioned. I am, again, very happy to have been working closely with him on this legislation in a bipartisan fashion.

Chairman Royce feels as I do, particularly strongly about broadcasting. It is something that is very important. It is something that helped to win the cold war.

It is something that we are able to get into countries, so they hear the truth when they are denied the truth from their own governments, and that is what this bill does.

Over the past few weeks, the people of Ukraine, Russia, and much of Eastern Europe have been bombarded by the state-controlled and directed Russian media. Among other things, these so-called reports claim that fascists and neo-Nazis have taken control of the government in Kiev, that they have been attacking ethnic Russians in Ukraine and similarly in Crimea, and that they have engaged in widespread anti-Semitic acts.

Despite the complete lack of evidence, President Putin and other Russian officials have repeatedly referred to these alleged events to justify the invasion of Crimea and their massing of troops on Ukraine's border.

It is important to note that a number of prominent Jewish leaders in Ukraine, including Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, have recently made clear that the Russian allegations about ant-Semitic acts in Ukraine are false and that this baseless propaganda has been used as a pretext for the illegal annexation of Crimea.

I will insert in the record a letter from Ukrainian Jewish leaders debunking the fabrications emanating from Russia.

The legislation before us today, which is very similar to a provision included in the bipartisan Ukraine Support Act that passed the House last week, is a critical piece of our comprehensive approach to address the crisis in Ukraine.

S. 2183 directs Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America to significantly increase radio, TV, and Internet programming in Ukraine and other countries in the region.

It also requires RFE/RL and Voice of America to expand their network of reporters in eastern Ukraine and Crimea and focus on news and information that directly rebuts misinformation from the Kremlin- controlled Russian media.

I would note, Mr. Speaker, that this legislation originated in the House as part of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Ukraine Support Act and was broken off in the Senate to create a separate bill.

In the interest of expediting passage, I will support the bill, but in the future, I might expect that Congress would follow a different process.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 2183 to help ensure that the people of Ukraine, Moldova, the Balkan States, and other countries in the region have access to objective and comprehensive news.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Open Letter of Ukrainian Jews to Russian Federation President Vladimir

Putin

to the president of the russian federation vladimir vladimirovich putin

Mr. President: We are Jewish citizens of Ukraine:

businessmen, managers, public figures, scientists and

scholars, artists and musicians. We are addressing you on

behalf of the multi-national people of Ukraine, Ukraine's

national minorities, and on behalf of the Jewish community.

You have stated that Russia wants to protect the rights of

the Russian-speaking citizens of the Crimea and all of

Ukraine and

that these rights have been trampled by the current Ukrainian

government. Historically, Ukrainian Jews are also mostly

Russian-speaking. Thus, our opinion on what is happening

carries no less weight than the opinion of those who advise

and inform you.

We are convinced that you are not easily fooled. This means

that you must be consciously picking and choosing lies and

slander from the entire body of information on Ukraine. And

you know very well that Victor Yanukovich's statement used to

describe the situation after the latest treaty had been

signed--``. . . Kyiv is full of armed people who have begun

to ransack buildings, places of worship, and churches.

Innocent people are suffering. People are being robbed and

killed in the streets . . .''--is simply a lie, from the

first word to the very last.

The Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine are not being

humiliated or discriminated against, their civil rights have

not been infringed upon. Meanderings about ``forced

Ukrainization'' and ``bans on the Russian language'' that

have been so common in Russian media are on the heads of

those who invented them. Your certainty about the growth of

anti-Semitism in Ukraine, which you expressed at your press-

conference, also does not correspond to the actual facts.

Perhaps you got Ukraine confused with Russia, where Jewish

organizations have noticed growth in anti-Semitic tendencies

last year.

Right now, after Ukraine has survived a difficult political

crisis, many of us have wound up on different sides of the

barricades. The Jews of Ukraine, as all ethnic groups, are

not absolutely unified in their opinion towards what is

happening in the country. But we live in a democratic country

and can afford a difference of opinion.

They have tried to scare us (and are continuing their

attempts) with ``Bandera followers'' and ``Fascists''

attempting to wrest away the helm of Ukrainian society, with

imminent Jewish pogroms. Yes, we are well aware that the

political opposition and the forces of social protests who

have secured changes for the better are made up of different

groups. They include nationalistic groups, but even the most

marginal do not dare show anti-Semitism or other xenophobic

behavior. And we certainly know that our very few

nationalists are well-controlled by civil society and the new

Ukrainian government--which is more than can be said for the

Russian neo-Nazis, who are encouraged by your security

services.

We have a great mutual understanding with the new

government, and a partnership is in the works. There are

quite a few national minority representatives in the Cabinet

of Ministers: the Minister of Internal Affairs is Armenian,

the Vice Prime Minister is a Jew, two ministers are Russian.

The newly-appointed governors of Ukraine's region are also

not exclusively Ukrainian.

Unfortunately, we must admit that in recent days stability

in our country has been threatened. And this threat is coming

from the Russian government, namely--from you personally. It

is your policy of inciting separatism and crude pressure

placed on Ukraine that threatens us and all Ukrainian people,

including those who live in Crimea and the Ukrainian South-

East. Southeastern Ukrainians will soon see that for

themselves.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we highly value your concern about

the safety and rights of Ukrainian national minorities. But

we do not wish to be ``defended'' by sundering Ukraine and

annexing its territory. We decisively call for you not to

intervene in internal Ukrainian affairs, to return the

Russian armed forces to their normal fixed peacetime

location, and to stop encouraging pro-Russian separatism.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we are quite capable of protecting

our rights in a constructive dialogue and in cooperation with

the government and civil society of a sovereign, democratic,

and united Ukraine. We strongly urge you not to destabilize

the situation in our country and to stop your attempts of

delegitimizing the new Ukrainian government.

Signed:

Josef Zisels, Chairman of the Association of Jewish

Communities and Organizations of Ukraine (VAAD) Ukraine,

Executive Vice President of the Congress of National

Communities of Ukraine; Alexander Suslensky, D.Sc., Vice

President of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine,

businessman; Andrei Adamovsky, First Vice President of the

Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, member of the ``Hillel''

Jewish Student organization Observation Council (citizen of

Russia); Evgen Chervonenko, Vice President of the European

Jewish Congress, businessman; Rabbi Alex Dukhovny, Head Rabbi

of the Ukrainian Progressive Judaism communities; Rabbi

Reuven Stamov, Head Rabbi of the Ukrainian Traditional

Judaism communities; Alexander Paskhaver, Member of the VAAD

Ukraine Coordation Council, economist; Leonid Finberg,

Director of the NaUKMA Center for the Studies of History and

Culture of Eastern European Jewry, VAAD Ukraine Vice

Chairman; Anatoliy Podolsky, Director of the Ukrainian Center

for Holocaust Studies, Vice Chairman of VAAD Ukraine; Igor

Kuperberg, Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Ukraine,

Vice Chairman of VAAD Ukraine; Semen Belman, Vice President

of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, President of the Chernigiv

Jewish Community; Alexander Gaidar, Leader of the Union of

Ukrainian Progressive Judaism Religious Communities;

Vyacheslav Likhachev, CNCU Chief expert in monitoring and

analysing xenophobia and anti-Semitism, member of the VAAD

Ukraine Coordination Council (citizen of Russia and Israel);

Michael Gold, Editor-in-chief of the VAAD Ukraine newspaper

``Hadashot''; Galina Haraz, Engineer (citizen of Ukraine and

Israel); Igor Turov, PhD in history, Director of the Jewish

Studies Certificate Program of VAAD Ukraine, VAAD Ukraine,

Presidium member; Diana Gold, VAAD Ukraine Presidium member;

Alexander Roitburg, Artist; Evgen Greben, Director of the

``Maccabi'' Jewish Cultural and Sports Society (Kyiv);

Grigoriy Pickman; ``B'nei B'rith Leopolis'' President; Igor

Kerez, VAAD Ukraine Trustee Board member; businessman;

(Signatures still being collected); March 4, 2014.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a very respected member of our Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing, I would like to say that information is power, and we must not yield the media landscape to intentional efforts by the state- controlled and directed Russian media to mislead the people of Ukraine and the surrounding countries by providing false and deceptive information. These reports, as was mentioned, have been used as a pretext to the annexation of Crimea and possible incursions into eastern Ukraine and even Moldova and, I might say, even Georgia. That is why this bill is necessary to ensuring that there is access to objective news and information.

I again urge the Congress to pass this with an overwhelming, bipartisan majority.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, as many in this Chamber know, I am very proud of the many ways my home State of Washington is leading the way. Our State is an economic leader. We are home to the American aerospace industry, we have a thriving agricultural sector, and dozens of companies creating new products and new jobs with cutting-edge technology. We are a leader in protecting the environment and educating our children. Washington State is also the place that tens of thousands of servicemembers and veterans call home.

Last, but not least, I could not be more proud of our State's history of protecting the rights of all of our citizens, including members of the LGBT community. We know in Washington State that it is wrong to discriminate against people. We know that a person's race, religion, or gender have nothing to do with their worth as a human being, and we know that actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity don't either. We get that in my home State of Washington, but we can't stop working until the same is true in all 50 States, and that is why I have come to the Senate floor today.

I want to share with everyone a story about a young man by the name of Kris. Kris will be the first to tell you he has not led the easiest of lives. After turning 18 years old and aging out of the foster care system in Texas, Kris found himself homeless at 18 years old in Houston and sleeping on whatever park bench or apartment roof was available to him that evening.

As luck would have it, one night while Kris was searching for a public restroom to use, he stumbled on an admissions fair for the University of Houston's downtown campus. Kris had always had ambitions to go to college, but because of his very unstable childhood and minimal income, pursuing higher education was never a priority. Once he learned that night that tuition for the school was waived for foster system alumni, this dream seemed more like a reality so Kris decided to enroll.

He went to school, declared his major in social work, and settled into college life. He made friends and participated in extracurricular activities on campus.

In fact, Kris got so involved that one of his good friends, Isaac, invited him to be his running mate for the upcoming student government election. Kris was very excited about that idea and realized it was his opportunity to make a real difference for many of the students on campus who had been through some of the same trying experiences he had.

Kris and Isaac kicked off their campaign and pursued elective office. Then 1 day--in fact 1 year ago this month--Kris was called into the dean of students office. Kris sat down and the dean reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of fliers with Kris's photo on each and every one of them with a big X across his picture. In big, bold letters across the top of the flier, it read: ``WANT AIDS?'' Across the bottom of that flier it read: ``Don't Support the Isaac and Kris Homosexual Agenda.'' On the back of the flier--unbelievably--was a copy of Kris's official

private medical record displaying in plain view that Kris was HIV positive. Stunning. I am sure every one of you are as stunned as I was.

The dean then informed Kris that these had been found all over the campus. As if the situation couldn't get any worse, the dean told Kris that there is nothing the university or the administration could do about it--nothing.

At one point Kris said the administration even accused him of being responsible for these acts. Kris was told the administration's sole responsibility was to simply inform him this was going on and nothing more. They just had to make sure he knew about it.

Kris was told that words such as homosexual or AIDS were proper terms, protected speech, and not grounds for punishment.

As you can imagine, Kris was devastated. He didn't attend class for weeks after that. His friends, family, and loved ones started to seriously worry about his well-being.

In the meantime, the word of this and Kris's status as HIV positive, as you can imagine, spread like wildfire across the campus. While Kris had been out to a small group of friends, there was no going back once the local paper picked up on the story which eventually circulated in the national media.

Thankfully, there is a happy ending to this heartbreaking story. In yet another example of how the younger generation in our country is swiftly helping to turn the tide against intolerance, Kris and Isaac won that election, and Kris served a term as the student body vice president. Kris has now moved on to serve in a different but somewhat similar capacity, and that is as a congressional intern here in my office in Washington, DC. I am proud to say that Kris is here with us on the floor today. And just like the fate he found that one night in search of a public restroom, Kris now has another chance to be part of a life-changing experience because today I have come to the floor to reintroduce the Tyler Clemente Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2014.

As many of you may remember, this legislation is named after Tyler Clemente. He was an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers University. Back in 2010, without his knowledge, Tyler's roommate streamed video footage on the Internet of Tyler in his dorm room being intimate with another male. After his roommate and another student invaded his privacy in such a serious way and continued to harass him over the Internet, Tyler leapt off the George Washington Bridge and sadly took his own life.

When I sat down and spoke with Kris about this recently, he told me how his story was very close to ending just like Tyler's story. He didn't have anyone on campus to turn to. Since the administration said they were unable to do anything about this hate crime, Kris felt he had no opportunity for closure.

Kris told me:

For most young people, when things like that happen, we

have got to have people who are going to be proactive in

helping them. And not someone telling them there's nothing we

can do to help you.

Quite shockingly, despite statistics telling us that LGBT students are nearly twice as likely to experience harassment when compared to their heterosexual peers, there is no Federal requirement that colleges and universities have policies to protect their students from harassment.

That is why I feel so strongly about this legislation.

The legislation I am introducing will require colleges and universities that receive Federal aid to establish anti-harassment policies for students no matter who they are or what they identify with, and they will be required to have the language of those policies easily accessible. It will recognize cyber bullying of all kinds as serious means of harassment. Finally, the Tyler Clementi act authorizes competitive grants for schools to initiate or expand programs to prevent these kinds of things from happening, to provide counseling for victims of the accused, and to train everyone on campus about how to prevent this in the future.

When I was back home last week in Spokane, I told Kris's story, just as I did today, and talked about the desperate need for these kinds of protections. I am sure, as with many of those listening, most of my constituents were pretty surprised to learn these policies aren't already in place at all of our institutions of higher learning. I couldn't agree more. Why aren't colleges and universities across our country all being proactive in establishing these programs and points of contact for students such as Tyler or Kris who have experienced or could experience such a life-changing event?

While many schools currently have successful prevention and counseling programs in place, students shouldn't have to take their health and safety into account when they decide where they are going to study in this country.

Kris recounted for me how each day during this horrible experience he would awaken, and there were 5 or 6 seconds where he would feel normal again, as if nothing had happened. But then reality would set in, and it felt as though a ton of bricks had fallen on top of him. Fortunately for Kris, he was able to lean on the campus LGBT community for support during this very trying time. But he said:

If I hadn't reached out to the community, I probably

wouldn't be here today. Every day going to school felt like a

battlefield.

Unfortunately, there are others similar to Kris who don't have that point of contact on campus--a supportive parent or a tight-knit group of friends who help them get through these kinds of experiences.

I am very proud to be here today, with the support of my outstanding cosponsor, Senator Baldwin, to take a major step to change this.

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to pay tribute to my friend Senator Frank Lautenberg and his staff for their tireless work to craft this original bill which serves as a tremendous honor to the life of Tyler Clementi. No student, whether they are gay or straight or Black or White or Christian or Muslim, should have to face discrimination and harassment in pursuit of their education. While I know it is impossible to eradicate all bad behavior from our society, we have to arm our campuses with the tools and resources necessary to not only efficiently and effectively support the victims but also to take action against those who have perpetrated such senseless crimes.

That is why I am here today. I am very proud to introduce this legislation.

I wish to thank Kris for his courage in speaking out and his ability to be here today to make sure no other student in our country ever has to go through what he did.

Mr. President, from DNA to digital evidence, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges are becoming increasingly reliant on the collection and analysis of various forms of forensic evidence in a criminal investigation or prosecution. It is therefore all the more important that we strengthen our confidence in the criminal justice system, and the evidence it relies upon, by ensuring that forensic evidence and testimony is accurate, credible, and scientifically grounded.

I am proud to introduce today the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act. This legislation represents a comprehensive and commonsense approach toward guaranteeing the effectiveness and scientific integrity of forensic evidence used in criminal cases, and in ensuring that Americans can have faith in their criminal justice system. The bill is also bipartisan, and I am pleased that Senator Cornyn has agreed to be a cosponsor of this legislation.

Over the course of the past 5 years, my staff and I have spent countless hours talking to prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, judges, forensic practitioners, academic experts, and many, many others to learn as much as we could about what is happening in the forensic sciences and what needs to be done. As this effort has progressed, I have been disturbed to learn about still more cases in which innocent people may have been convicted, and perhaps even executed, in part due to faulty forensic

evidence or the lack of valid forensic evidence. Since the first post- conviction DNA exoneration in the United States in 1989, there have been 314 DNA exonerations. These exonerees spent an average of 13.5 years in prison, amounting to an astounding total of 4,202 years. It is a double tragedy when an innocent person is convicted. An innocent person suffers, and a guilty person remains free, leaving us all less safe. We must do everything we can to avoid that untenable outcome.

It has also become abundantly clear through the course of this inquiry that the men and women who test and analyze forensic evidence do tremendous work that is vital to our criminal justice system. I remember their important contributions and hard work from my days as a prosecutor in Vermont, and the rapid development and expansion of the forensic science disciplines since that time has been extraordinary. So their work is even more important today, and we need to strengthen the field of forensics, and the justice system's confidence in it, so that their hard work can be consistently relied upon, as it should be.

Everyone recognizes the need for forensic evidence that is accurate and reliable. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers want evidence that can be relied upon to determine guilt and prove it beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Defense attorneys want strong evidence that can be used to exclude innocent people from suspicion. Forensic science practitioners want their work to have as much certainty as possible and to be able to testify in court with confidence and integrity. All scientists and all attorneys who care about these issues want the scientific analysis that is admitted as evidence in the courtroom to meet the same rigorous testing and research standards found in the laboratory.

There is general agreement that the forensic sciences can be improved through strong and unassailable research to test and establish the validity of the forensic disciplines, as well as the application of consistent and established standards in the field. There is also a dire need for well managed and appropriately directed funding for research, development, training, and technical assistance. It is a good investment that will lead to fewer trials and appeals, and will reduce crime by ensuring that those who commit serious offenses are promptly captured and convicted. There is also broad consensus that all forensic laboratories should be required to meet rigorous accreditation standards and that forensic practitioners should be required to obtain meaningful certification.

Finally, there is wide acknowledgement about the need for comprehensive legislation to address all of these issues. I first introduced a version of this legislation in 2011, after an extensive process of consultation with experts and stakeholders that included three Judiciary Committee hearings, dozens of meetings with individuals and organizations, and multiple drafts and revisions of legislative proposals. We have continued to refine this bill over the past 3 years, and the legislation Senator Cornyn and I introduce today is the product of that ongoing conversation.

I have been encouraged by the efforts of the Department of Justice and National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to implement administratively some of the basic structural reforms contained in our bill, pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding that led to the formation of the National Commission on Forensic Science. However, executive action is not enough. Congress must enact comprehensive forensic science reform legislation, and I look forward to working with the Department of Justice, NIST, the National Science Foundation, and others to make sure we implement the necessary reforms as expeditiously as possible.

This is not a partisan issue. Improving the reliability of forensic evidence does not advance the interests of just prosecutors or defendants, or of Democrats or Republicans. It is in the interest of justice. Senator Cornyn recognizes this, and I am proud to have him as a cosponsor of this important legislation. We will continue to work diligently with senators on both sides of the aisle, and I hope many other senators will join us to cosponsor this legislation, and work with me to ensure its passage.

I want to thank the forensic science practitioners, experts, advocates, law enforcement personnel, judges, and so many others whose input forms the basis for this legislation. Their passion for this issue and for getting it right gives me confidence that we will work together successfully to make much needed progress in implementing comprehensive forensic reform legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2183) United States international programming to Ukraine and neighboring regions.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of S. 2183, legislation to bolster U.S.- backed international broadcasting to Ukraine and the surrounding region. This legislation passed the House overwhelmingly last week as part of H.R. 4278. It was authored by myself and Mr. Engel.

While the Senate did not act on the full House package of legislation to support Ukraine, I am pleased that the Senate did recognize and act on this important piece of legislation. With its passage, this bill goes to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is central to our effort to counter Russian aggression and to send the type of support we need for the democratic development of Ukraine.

Throughout the crisis, Russians and Ukrainians alike have been bombarded by portrayals of Ukrainian protesters and the interim government, as you can hear on the Russian propaganda broadcast, what they call fascist mercenaries.

This, of course, is a rather deplorable attempt to draw a connection between those who yearn for freedom in Ukraine to the brutal Nazi invasion of the second World War. Overwhelmingly, the country of Ukraine voted for independence.

In this false narrative, which really is sort of a big lie, stark images of chaos and violence are used to persuade viewers that ethnic and linguistic Russians are under attack in Ukraine.

Footage of a border crossing between Ukraine and Poland has been used to support the outlandish claims that Ukrainian refugees are fleeing into Russia.

In Crimea, Russian forces have seized control over at least a dozen television and radio stations that are now used to broadcast misleading and false news and information around the clock.

Russian propaganda right now is in overdrive. A survey by Russia's only independent polling service, Levada, earlier this month showed that 63 percent of Russians believe state media portrays an objective picture of Ukraine.

This bill puts us on the offensive in this information battle. It does so by requiring Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America to increase broadcasts to the people of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, prioritizing programming to populations that are being inundated with Russian propaganda and combating the misinformation they are receiving.

This bill also supports efforts to circumvent Russian jamming. The Russian government has targeted Ukrainian television and radio stations, jamming their signals and disrupting their ability to reach Ukrainian audiences while the Russian propaganda broadcasts come in relentlessly.

In addition, this bill supports U.S. international broadcasting to the Balkans and Moldova, two regions that are subject to the wider Russian propaganda campaign.

The free flow of information forms the foundation for a strong democratic society. Russian propaganda kills democratic prospects. This is the problem with the fact that the state and Russia has now taken over all independent media.

As they struggle to build democracy, this bill will help provide the people of Ukraine with news and information that is accessible, credible, and accurate. It will basically be surrogate broadcasting.

I urge its passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is a sad state of affairs. There was one television station left in Russia that had some measure of independence, that wasn't state-controlled. Russia, President Putin, went after that institution, and now it is no longer broadcasting.

Russia has been waging an intense, aggressive, and very blunt disinformation campaign. Not only is that campaign directed at disinformation to people in Ukraine, but they have also spun tales of sinister plotting by the West. This measure, S. 2183, responds by directing U.S. international broadcasters to advance access to uncensored sources of information, the truth, about what is happening on the ground in Ukraine, to use stringers and reporters and to operate as a surrogate radio broadcast source in order to get news and information to people that are otherwise subject to the Russian propaganda, state-run propaganda that is coming into the country. I think it is important that this be done because the Ukrainian stations themselves have now been jammed by the Russians, by the Russian Government.

The former head of Radio Free Europe once described the mission of his broadcasts as one that ``irritates authoritarian regimes, inspires democrats, and creates greater space for civil society.'' We need to create greater space for civil society in Eastern Europe today. We need to provide a platform to inspire those who want to see democratic governance, and that is exactly the type of response that is needed.

For years, this type of broadcasting has been pivotal in helping young democracies push back against media lies and distortions and get off of their feet. We know from listening to Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa how important this broadcasting can be. It is the type of broadcasting needed now in Ukraine and the surrounding region more than ever.

So I urge the House to pass S. 2183 and ensure that Russian attempts to undermine democracy in Ukraine through an intense propaganda campaign do not go unanswered.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from New York.

Let me begin first by thanking and extending my commendation to the distinguished chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce, and our distinguished ranking member, Mr. Engel. They have comported the Foreign Affairs Committee in a civil and bipartisan, collegial fashion that I think is a model for this Congress, and I wish we could emulate that in more of our committee work and here on the floor of the House of Representatives. They understand, both of them, that foreign policy has to be bipartisan, that the United States' interest must trump partisan issues and interests, and I thank them both for their leadership and their inspiration.

I rise in strong support of these two bipartisan bills which contain provisions supported by our committee and the full House in recent weeks.

The House initially passed a bill to provide loan guarantees to Ukraine on March 6, and with today's vote, the bill finally will go to the President for his signature. It authorizes $150 million in aid to Ukraine, and another $100 million for this fiscal year for increased U.S. security cooperation among NATO states in response to the situation in Ukraine. This compromise legislation will also codify and expand the sanctions imposed last month by the Obama administration against certain Russian and Ukrainian officials who have undermined the Ukrainian Government or committed human rights abuses.

The second bill authorizes up to $10 million for Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty and the Voice of America to increase their broadcasts into eastern Ukraine--including the Crimea, Moldova, and other nearby ethnic Russian communities--consistent with the House-passed bill.

As the ranking member just noted, the power of radio certainly was something we saw during the cold war era, where truth could be beamed into homes, people had the courage to listen, and it actually changed minds, hearts, and, ultimately, the politics of the entire Soviet- dominated region.

Mr. Speaker, the United States and its allies cannot allow the flagrant violation of sovereignty that occurred by Russia in Crimea in violation of the international law, blatantly, to stand. Doing so would be an abrogation of our moral responsibility as a world power, and it would be turning our backs on the lessons we should have learned from the catastrophic events of the previous century.

Mr. Putin's claims that Russian speakers in Crimea were in jeopardy is nothing more than a fabrication and a ruse. Russia's interests were never threatened in the Crimea after the revolution in Kiev.

The current treaty with Crimea provided Russia with naval and military privileges and bases through the year 2042. That treaty was never threatened by Kiev. That treaty was never abrogated until the Russians' lower chamber of Parliament voted to abrogate that treaty, as a matter of fact.

Putin has learned nothing from history and is, in fact, bent, apparently, on repeating it. Crimea was settled by Stalin to have a Russian majority. He expelled and executed much of the native population of Crimea.

Mr. Putin seems to have learned nothing from that history, other than there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. And the so-called referendum in Crimea was also, frankly, carried out with the assistance of bused-in thugs and at the end of the barrel of a

gun. I guess, as I have said before with respect to Mr. Putin, once a KGB agent, always a KGB agent.

If Mr. Putin's goal was to deter Ukraine and other former Soviet satellite nations from turning to the West, he has failed miserably. Ukraine and its neighbors are now looking at this aggression and turning even more to the West for their orientation and their support. As they do, the United States and its allies must be there to stand with them against this naked aggression, a raw and reckless act by the Russian Government.

I urge my colleagues to support these two bills. Speak with one voice on behalf of the United States Congress, and send a decisive message to the aggressive Mr. Putin and his Russian Government.