Calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here with Congressman Dean Phillips as we work together, unintentionally united by war criminal Putin, as Democrats and Republicans are united for freedom.

Mr. Speaker, on December 28, 2018, U.S. citizen Paul Whelan was arrested in Moscow. On June 15, 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in a Putin labor camp. He remains behind bars to this day for a crime he did not commit. No real evidence of Paul's guilt was ever provided, defense witnesses were excluded, and he was denied a fair trial.

U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan described Paul's wrongful conviction exactly right--a mockery of justice. Paul is an American and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. The U.S. Congress cannot remain silent as Paul remains unjustly held by the thug in the Kremlin.

The resolution we are considering today shows we have not forgotten-- and will never forget--Paul or any other American wrongfully detained in Russia.

I was thrilled and relieved today to learn that Trevor Reed has been released from his unjust detention in Russia. Trevor, another former U.S. Marine, had spent years behind bars on completely fabricated charges.

However, we cannot rest until Paul and every single wrongfully detained American is home safely with their families as well.

As it launched its full-scale murderous invasion of Ukraine, the Putin regime has stepped up its reprehensible practice of targeting Americans for unfounded detentions. In February, Brittney Griner, a WNBA--that is the Women's National Basketball Association--player was arrested for allegedly bringing drugs into Russia. She faces up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. I fear she too will be held hostage by the Russian dictator. I appreciate her Member of Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, for being such an outspoken proponent for her release.

I would be remiss not to mention Vladimir Kara-Murza too. He is one of the fiercest advocates of a democratic Russia, who has been poisoned twice by the Putin regime, and who faces up to 15 years in prison for speaking the truth about Putin's unprovoked war of aggression and murder in Ukraine. He is a brave freedom fighter who does not deserve to be locked up for shining a light on Putin's brutality and corruption.

Putin must stop using innocent Americans as diplomatic pawns and release them immediately.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution so Paul and his family know that the U.S. Congress stands with them, Democrats and Republicans, and will do everything in our power to make sure Paul can join Trevor in coming back home.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Representative Haley Stevens for her work on this resolution. You can tell it is from the heart, and we are working together, again, Republicans and Democrats.

How fortunate we are, with the leadership of Congressman Tim Walberg, to have spent the Orthodox Christian Easter weekend in Ukraine to visit with Lviv, to be in Kiev, to be in the Bucha region where the atrocities were so horrific, and to be on a delegation with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, who was actually born in Soviet Ukraine, and now she has seen it become a free Ukraine. Our country is so blessed by the number of Ukrainians who have come to live in our country and then support their maintenance, victory, and winning for freedom in Ukraine.

As the world watches in horror at the war crimes and atrocities that the war criminal Putin is committing in Ukraine, we must also condemn the Russian dictator's practice of exploiting innocent Americans as political pawns.

I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this resolution. This will send a strong message to Paul and the other wrongfully detained Americans in Russia that Congress will not rest until they are returned home to their families.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 336) calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 336, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 336, calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Stevens for her tireless work on behalf of her constituent, Paul Whelan, whom Russia has held hostage as a political prisoner for over 3 years.

For more than 1,300 days the Russian Government has put Paul and his family through unimaginable torment: taking away Paul's freedom, threatening his health, and denying him his most basic human rights-- all for the purpose of using an American citizen--a human being--as a political bargaining chip.

Paul's treatment at the hands of the Russian Government and its so- called justice system is shocking, but unfortunately, hardly surprising.

As we witness the horrors committed by Putin, his enablers, and Russian forces in Ukraine, we are reminded of the lengths that the authoritarian regime in the Kremlin will go to achieve its nefarious objectives. But neither Paul nor any political prisoner is a tool to be used for an end. They are human beings with families who just want to see justice served and see their loved ones home safe and sound.

In light of the horrific treatment Paul has endured, I thank our wonderful diplomats in Russia, particularly Ambassador John Sullivan, as well as Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, working under tremendous pressure from the Russian Government to see that Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner, and other Americans detained in Russia are treated with dignity and that their human rights are respected.

Good news today, we are thrilled that in large part due to their work, Trevor Reed is now on his way home. We cannot stop until Paul's family and other families with Americans detained overseas are given that same relief. These families work tirelessly to remind us that we cannot stop pushing--they deserve that same level of dedication from all of us.

H. Res. 336, calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan, takes another step toward securing that safe and swift release of American citizens from unjust detention abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I support this important resolution and thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for introducing it. I urge all Members to vote in support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

I also thank my dear friend and colleague from South Carolina for delivering to me a Ukraine-United States solidarity pin that I now wear proudly on my lapel.

Freedom is at the core of our American values. It is the backbone of democracy. We have Americans stuck in Russia and around the world being held against their will and without explanation to be used as political bargaining chips.

During this time of horrific atrocities, their safe and secure release is all the more imperative. H. Res. 336 takes action to secure the safety of our fellow Americans, including Brittany Griner and Paul Whelan, who are at the mercy of Vladimir Putin, an evil dictator who has no regard for human life.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today--as I have every day I have served in this very Chamber--on behalf of my constituent, Paul Whelan, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia since the end of December, 2018.

Throughout Mr. Whelan's detention, the Russian Government has repeatedly violated his rights, denied him proper medical care, and refused to provide any evidence to substantiate the charges against him. He was held in pretrial detention for over 18 months in the notorious Lefortovo Prison. Then Mr. Whelan's trial was held behind closed doors, and his defense was prohibited from calling witnesses. Mr. Whelan now serves a 16-year sentence of hard labor, and he is in his fifties. He is currently being held in a prison camp where he has been since August 2020, facing unbelievably harsh conditions, injury, and illness.

Early this morning the news broke that fellow American, Trevor Reed, a marine and Texan who had also been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, was freed through a prisoner swap orchestrated by President Biden. This is incredible news.

While this is incredible news for Mr. Reed and his family, let us say in this Chamber that Paul and his family deserve to experience the same joy and relief. Paul has been imprisoned longer than any other detained American in Russia. He has had years stolen from him, including precious time with his aging parents and siblings. One by one, he has lost his home in Novi, his job, his ability to communicate with friends, his beloved dog, Flora, and so much more. I want to see my constituent of Novi, Michigan, back home.

This innocent man has had his life and his livelihood stolen from him by Vladimir Putin. Today, we have the opportunity as a Congress to denounce Paul's wrongful imprisonment and stand up to the lawlessness of the Putin regime. In the years since Paul's detention, we have seen Mr. Putin further isolate himself on the world stage as his government has dissolved into one of true lawlessness leading to threats and violence. We have all borne witness to the tragic loss of life of thousands of innocent Ukrainians and watched while a democratic nation is being destroyed at the directive of this dangerous war criminal. We must stand up from this Chamber.

I thank my colleagues who have joined us. I thank Mr. Keating, and I certainly recognize the chairman, Mr. Meeks, and the ranking member, Mr. McCaul, for their attention to this matter.

If Paul is watching this, he will know that I am praying for him, I am rooting for him, and I will never stop fighting for him. Let's pass H. Res. 336 immediately.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from South Carolina for the time, and, of course, I thank my friend, Mr. Phillips, for leading the debate on this important issue.

Once again, we gather on the House floor in unity--Republicans and Democrats--to counter Putin's behavior.

Last year, I cofounded the first Congressional Task Force for American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad with my friend, Ted Deutch, from Florida.

I thank Representative Stevens for being one of the first members of that task force, and that is why I rise in strong support of my friend Haley Stevens' resolution which calls for the release of Paul Whelan who is, in fact, unjustly imprisoned in Russia.

We have heard today in the debates some of the details of Paul's arrest and nearly 2 years in pretrial detention with no evidence publicly presented justifying wrongdoing.

All parts of our government, especially Members of Congress, who directly represent the families of those held hostage or wrongfully detained, must engage with friends and enemies alike, to ensure that Americans in situations like Paul Whelan's are expeditiously brought home. Further, Congress must continue to engage with the administration in situations like these to disincentivize the wrongful detention or hostage taking of Americans.

Last year, we passed a similar resolution on this floor in support of Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan. It was, in fact, rewarding this morning to hear that Trevor was released; but, he should have never been held, and the exchange of prisoners should have never been necessary.

But today, Mr. Speaker, on a combined basis, Republicans and Democrats, let us issue a message to Paul Whelan: We have not forgotten you.

And let this message be clear that countries that engage in political hostage taking must stop the disgraceful practice and be held accountable.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support Representative Stevens' resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 336 and, once again, call on the Russian Government to release American citizen, Paul Whelan. I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, for her undying leadership in fighting this travesty--and it is a travesty.

It has now been over 3 years since Paul Whelan--a marine veteran, a Michigan resident, and, most importantly, an American citizen--was imprisoned in Russia without proper evidence or a fair trial. It was a sham trial; that is the messaging Paul wanted to convey to the world as an unjust Russian judicial system handed out a ridiculous sentence. Throughout his detainment, he has also been denied access to proper medical treatment, despite a sharp decline in his health.

Just this week, I returned from Ukraine where Russian atrocities have been on display to the entire world. Make no mistake about that. We saw heartbreaking devastation that has impacted so many lives. But tragically, Vladimir Putin's barbaric behavior is not new. He has no concern for even the most basic of human rights.

Today, the House must send an unequivocal message to the Kremlin: It is time to end the maltreatment of Paul Whelan.

We just learned the good news that Trevor Reed, another American detained in Russia, was released from prison. We are calling for Paul to be next.

I want to close with a message to Paul's dear parents, Rosemary and Ed, who live in my district in Manchester, Michigan; and to Paul's siblings, Elizabeth, David, and Andrew. I know this has been an incredibly trying time for your family. I admire your resolve in the face of adversity. I grieve with you. I pray for you. And I continue to stand with you.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for Paul Whelan to come home to Michigan.