H.Res. 973

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, I rise in support of the rule governing debate for H.J.R. 75, the ``Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act,'' which provides funding to continue the operations of the federal government through March 15, 2022 and avoids a wasteful and irresponsible shutdown, and also the underlying bill.

The House, led by the Democratic majority, did its job, passing 10 of the 12 appropriations bills earlier this year but Senate Republicans failed to hold a single markup of appropriations bills, making it necessary to pass this Continuing Resolution to avert a shutdown that would only further damage our economy.

Throughout the 117th Congress, House Democrats have worked to deliver results for the American people, passing legislation to address each pillar of the ``For The People'' agenda: lower health care costs, higher wages by rebuilding America, and cleaning up corruption and strengthening our Democracy.

And under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, the House has passed hundreds of bills, including legislation to crush the COVID-19 pandemic, build our economy back better, lower health care and prescription drug prices, raise wages, advance economic and retirement security, end gun violence, act on the climate crisis, protect Dreamers, and strengthen voting rights.

For example, in this Congress the House has passed and sent to the President the following legislation that has been signed into law:

1. H.R. 1799, Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act:

This legislation extended the Paycheck Protection Program application deadline for two months through May 31, 2021 to help struggling businesses keep workers employed during COVID-19.

2. H.R. 1276, SAVE LIVES Act;

This law ensured that more veterans, their families, and caregivers got access to COVID-19 vaccines in a timely manner.

3. S. 937, COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act:

This law addresses the dramatic increase in hate crimes targeting the AAPI community since the start of the pandemic. This law designates a point person at the Department of Justice to review hate crimes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, bolsters state and local governments to improve their reporting of hate crimes and ensures that hate crime information is more accessible to Asian American communities.

4. S. 475, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act:

This law established the first federal holiday in 38 years to formally recognize Juneteenth National Independence Day and commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

House Democrats have also worked to advance critical pieces of legislation, which await action in the Senate:

1. H.R. 1, For The People Act;

This comprehensive legislation would promote government transparency, strengthen access to the ballot box and make it easier for Americans to exercise their right to vote, secure election infrastructure, and curb the influence of dark money in politics.

2. H.R. 5, Equality Act;

The Equality Act would codify consistent anti-discrimination legal protections for LGBTQ Americans by amending several existing civil rights laws to include explicit non-discrimination protections in key areas of life.

3. H.R. 6, Dream and Promise Act:

The Dream and Promise Act would protect Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders from deportation and provide an opportunity to obtain permanent legal status that would enable these groups to work legally within the United States and continue to contribute to their local communities and economy.

4. H.R. 7, Paycheck Fairness Act:

This bill would strengthen labor protections around equal pay by prohibiting the use of salary history to set compensation, provide more transparent options for joining class-action lawsuits challenging systemic discrimination, and require employers to show that gender pay gaps are job-related and consistent with business need.

5. H.R. 8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R 1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act:

These bills would modernize federal laws around gun sales. The former would close current loopholes that allow buyers to purchase guns without a background check in certain venues, while the latter would prevent gun sales from going through before background checks are completed.

6. H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:

This bill, which House Democrats also passed in the 116th Congress 30 days after the murder of George Floyd, will address racial bias in policing, ensure accountability for police brutality and misconduct, and work to change the culture of law enforcement to promote better relationships with the communities they serve.

7. H.R 3684, INVEST in America Act:

This bill is a comprehensive five-year surface transportation reauthorization and water infrastructure package that would make long- overdue repairs to our nation's roads, bridges, rail, and transit. The bill would also ensure clean, safe drinking water and address our nation's aging wastewater infrastructure.

8. H.R. 842, Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act:

This bill aims to strengthen labor protections for union workers through overriding Republican-led ``right to work'' laws, promoting free and fair union elections, and holding companies that attempt to restrict union activity accountable.

9. H.J. Res. 17, Removing the Deadline for Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment:

This resolution would remove the deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment in order to enshrine women's equality in the Constitution.

10. H.R. 1620, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act:

This long-overdue legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act passed the House with bipartisan support. It would reauthorize funding to vital grant programs that help prevent sexual assault, domestic violence, and improve access to resources for victims and survivors.

11. H.R. 3237, the Emergency Security Supplemental to Respond to 1/6 Appropriations Act:

This bill provides $1.9 billion in funding to secure the U.S. Capitol Complex and ensure the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police have the resources they need to do their jobs. The legislation responds to the direct costs incurred by the National Guard and DC police on January 6, provides funding to improve the security of windows and doors in the Capitol complex, and secures funds to improve Capitol Police training and equipment.

12. H.R. 3005, Legislation to #RemoveHate from the Capitol Building:

This bill would remove statues of those who perpetuated and supported slavery and segregation in this country, along with statues or busts of those who served voluntarily in the Confederate States of America, from public display in the U.S. Capitol.

13. H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act:

This bipartisan bill would stabilize the agriculture industry's labor supply by reforming the H-2A guest worker program and creating a pathway to citizenship for agricultural workers, many of whom worked through the pandemic.

14. H.R. 51, the Washington, DC Admission Act:

This bill would admit Washington, DC as the 51st state in the Union and end the injustice in denying nearly 700,000 citizens the right to be represented fully in Congress. It would also end the unjust practice of treating District of Columbia residents differently when allocating government resources or relief.

15. H.R. 3985, ALLIES Act:

This bill would increase the visa cap and expedite the visa process for Afghan allies who worked alongside American military personnel, diplomats, development professionals, and partner forces, to help ensure they make it safely out of harm's way.

16. H.R. 803, Protecting America's Wildness and Public Lands Act:

This comprehensive bill would conserve and protect natural landscapes across America, designating over 1.5 million acres of public land as protected wilderness and withdrawing significant amount of public land from drilling and mining activities to promote a healthier environment.

17. H.R. 2467, the PFAS Action Act:

This bipartisan bill would improve the safety of Americans' drinking water by requiring the EPA to set a drinking water standard, prevent the future release of PFAS chemicals into our bodies of water, and start the process of cleaning up affected communities.

18. H.R. 256, Repeal of the 2002 AUMF Against Iraq:

This bill, which passed with bipartisan support, would repeal the 2002 Authorization of Military Force Against Iraq.

19. H.R. 1230, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act:

The bipartisan Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act restores protections for older workers that were weakened in a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that made it harder for older workers to prove age-based discrimination in the workplace.

20. H.R 2662, the Inspectors-General Independence and Empowerment Act:

This bill seeks to promote government transparency and accountability by ensuring the independence of federal inspectors general, allowing government watchdogs to act freely without fear of political pressure or threats. It would also protect whistleblowers from threats of retaliation by making it a violation of House rules for Members to reveal their identities.

In addition, three Congressional Review Act resolutions have been signed into law, overturning dangerous rules put in place by the Trump Administration:

1. S.J. Res. 13, a CRA overturning an EEOC rule to address discrimination in the workplace;

2. S.J. Res. 14, a CRA addressing dangerous methane emissions; and

3. S.J. Res. 15, a CRA to protect against predatory lenders.

These along with many, many others are among the bills awaiting Senate action.

Mr. Speaker, our colleagues across the aisle have in both chambers have been obstructive, dilatory, petulantly uncooperative throughout the first session of the 117th Congress.

Nowhere was this more apparent than the refusal of the majority of Republican members in the House voted 175-35 against H.R. 3233, legislation modeled after the 9/11 Commission establishing a National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act.

I strongly support this legislation and urge all Members to join me in voting for H.J.R. 75, the ``Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act.''

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts, Chairman McGovern, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, our second rule of the day now covers four items. As we discussed earlier, the first item is a bill to ban imports of Russian oil into the United States and to impose additional sanctions following Russia's unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine.

Although I will be supporting this bill, it is a missed opportunity to exhibit unified support for the immediate steps to confront Vladimir Putin's evil empire. A much stronger bill has been introduced in the Senate that was negotiated over the weekend by Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. Why the majority would forgo taking yes for an answer and instead introduce a much weaker, watered-down bill is beyond me.

Our second bill is an omnibus appropriations bill covering the remainder of fiscal year 2022. Our third bill is a short-term continuing resolution to ensure the continuity of government funding while Congress finishes the larger bill. And our fourth bill is a $15 billion standalone COVID supplemental.

The omnibus appropriations bill was a long time in coming. Indeed, we are over 5 months into fiscal year 2022, and it is more than a little frustrating that it has taken us this long to get here. But we are here now, and the bill before us represents a realistic compromise between the House and the Senate and between Democrats and Republicans.

The omnibus bill is far, far better than the partisan bills the House passed last summer. This bill preserves the historic legacy of bipartisan pro-life riders like the Hyde amendment and the Weldon amendment, both of which absolutely had to be in this package in order to become law. It omits new partisan policy riders on which there is no consensus. It increases defense spending by more than $25 billion over last year, which is clearly necessary in the wake of Vladimir Putin's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. And it provides for an appropriate, measured increase in nondefense spending, which will allow for continued investments in programs like the National Institutes of Health, ARPA-H, TRIO, and GEAR UP. The limited increase in nondefense spending allows us to make responsible investments in key programs while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

While it spends more than I would have preferred, it is still a very reasonable compromise.

Before I conclude, Madam Speaker, I want to, once again, congratulate Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro and Ranking Member Kay Granger of the Appropriations Committee on today's bill and thank them for their hard work.

On the new addition, the $15 billion COVID supplemental, I think there are serious concerns with this additional unpaid-for increase. According to the CBO, there is currently more than $340 billion in unobligated funds available for repurposing and appropriation. Indeed, instead of providing new resources like this bill does, we should rescind or repurpose existing COVID resources for these purposes, as the bill we considered earlier today would have done.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have more remarks.

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

Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, for immediate consideration.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen the clear consequences of President Biden's war on the oil and gas industry. Emboldened by Russia's role as the key source of energy for much of Europe, Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of his neighbor, Ukraine. Gas prices are soaring, with the pressures of unchecked inflation and Putin's threats to cut off oil and gas exports pushing them ever higher.

Indeed, Mr. Putin has begun to deploy his most potent weapon, which is to threaten to cut off Europe's energy supply right in the dead of winter.

Madam Speaker, this was all avoidable. The United States has the capacity to be energy independent if only we choose to be. We can stand on our own two feet, confident in the knowledge that we can meet all of our domestic energy needs right here at home, and we can provide assistance to our allies to ensure their protection against Russian threats.

Unfortunately, President Biden's actions since taking office have made this impossible. On day one of his Presidency, he terminated the Keystone XL pipeline, and he subsequently froze oil and gas leasing on Federal lands. In lieu of the U.S. producing oil and gas that we need, he is instead asking every other oil producing country but the United States to step up. Many of these are hardly friends of our country or, frankly, humanity. It is simply astonishing.

The American Energy Independence from Russia Act would address this challenge and ensure American energy self-sufficiency. It would immediately approve the Keystone XL pipeline; it would restart oil and gas leasing on Federal lands and waters; and it would expand liquid natural gas exports at the moment Europe needs them most. It would free the United States and our allies to act in opposition to Vladimir Putin's brutal and barbarous assault on his neighbor without fear.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' on the previous question and a ``no'' on the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I advise my friend I am prepared to close.

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

Madam Speaker, before I go to my formal remarks, my friend and I will have a discussion about energy.

I am a big believer in renewables. My own State gets 42 percent of its electricity from wind power, and we are number two in the country. I would put our record up against anybody.

We really do believe in ``all of the above.'' But we are very proud of having produced energy for over 100 years for this country in abundance, far beyond our needs, and exported at reasonable prices.

I would also remind my friend, whatever the prices are--and I wish they were lower--they are cheaper here than just about anyplace else in the world, and we can thank, literally, the thousands of people I am privileged to represent.

Many of us represent over 10 million of the men and women who actually produce the energy this country needs and, frankly, the rest of the world needs right now. I don't think they ought to be demeaned. I don't think their motives ought to be questioned. They are an extraordinary group of people, and they are patriotic and step forward whenever we need them. When times are bad, nobody seems to care what happens to them. When times get tougher, everybody wants them to step forward, invest more, and do more, and they do. They will continue to do that in this time of crisis. So, I don't think we need to be divided on this.

There is no question we need more oil and gas now; Europe needs more oil and gas now; and we have been taught a serious lesson about the dangers of becoming reliant on people like Mr. Putin when they have the ability to impact world prices.

Madam Speaker, in closing, although I oppose the rule, I am greatly encouraged by the underlying appropriations measure. While it is not perfect--no bill ever is--and could always be better, it does represent a good compromise between Democrats and Republicans that will ensure full-year funding for fiscal year 2022.

The bill before us continues Congress' policy of increasing our investments in defense spending, which is of critical importance at this time of global crisis. It provides for needed investments in health, including increasing funding for combating future pandemics and research into diseases like cancer. It funds education, infrastructure, energy production, roads, and care for our Nation's veterans.

It includes also--and I want to thank my friend for doing this--his proposal for a much-needed White House conference on hunger, and it is an area we work together on. I am proud to acknowledge his leadership in that.

It is, in sum, a bill Congress can collectively be proud of, and it is a bill that does the right thing for the American people.

On the Russia oil ban, I am disappointed. The Democrats walked away from a strong bipartisan, bicameral deal that could have united us as a Congress and led to swift passage in the Senate. As it currently stands, it is unclear what fate awaits this legislation in the Senate. I am hopeful that my friends on the other side will reflect on this missed opportunity and work with Republicans to not only stand up against Russian aggression abroad but also for homegrown American energy resources that are critical to achieving our goals and checking Vladimir Putin.

On the new $15 billion unpaid-for COVID supplemental, the data is clear that there are already adequate resources available. These could be fully utilized before additional funds are provided.

Madam Speaker, while I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule, I encourage all Members to support the bipartisan and bicameral omnibus appropriations bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 973, I call up the bill (H.R. 2471) to measure the progress of post-disaster recovery and efforts to address corruption, governance, rule of law, and media freedoms in Haiti, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 2471.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of our 2022 government funding legislation.

This package makes historic investments in the middle class and people who are living paycheck to paycheck. They deserve a government that, instead of catering to the wealthy and big corporations, bends over backwards to support them. By providing a 6.7 percent increase for nondefense funding, the largest increase in 4 years, that is exactly what we are doing.

What a marker we have put down. That is translated into funding for agriculture, increased by 6 percent; energy and water, increased by 6.6 percent; 5.7 percent increase for financial services and general government; 5.2 percent increase for interior and environment; a 7.5 percent increase for transportation and housing; 11.8 percent increase for legislative branch, which includes support for the Capitol Police who put their lives on the line defending this body; and a 7.5 percent increase for labor, health, and human services, and education to support Americans at every stage of their lives. That is what this bill represents after years of stalled investment in each area.

With the funding included in this package, we are helping working families with the cost of living; we are helping students pay for the high cost of education; we are giving hardworking families a better chance to own their own homes; and we are connecting rural communities to the internet so that they can reach their full potential.

We are putting Americans back to work by creating jobs here in America, helping small businesses, supporting job training, rebuilding our infrastructure, including unlocking the full funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

We are supporting the vulnerable by feeding the hungry and the food insecure through nutrition assistance, making housing more affordable, and addressing gender-based violence.

And we are tackling our toughest challenges. We are confronting climate change through environmental enforcement. We are supporting environmental justice with $100 million, an $83 million increase over last year. We are making historic investments in clean energy and climate science.

By rebuilding our public health infrastructure, investing in lifesaving biomedical research, with $3.2 billion, an increase of $104 million, for HIV/AIDS research, and confronting urgent health crises, we are making healthcare more affordable for more Americans.

And we are going to ensure that big corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share to support these investments by increasing funding for the IRS to $12.6 billion.

Think about the leaders that we hoped to emulate as we entered public life, all of us, leaders like Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Labor and one of the principal architects of the New Deal. She once said, ``I came to Washington to work for God, FDR and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen,'' and I add women.

She, as well as my parents, told me to battle for working people, never to take no for an answer. They said work for the everyday citizen.

With this government funding legislation, we are here tonight as well to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. As the world watches in horror, civilians--including children, the ill, expectant mothers-- are being targeted by Russia's unprovoked and utterly inhumane attacks.

We are becoming witness to one of the worst humanitarian crises we have seen in generations, which is why this bill provides $13.6 billion in humanitarian assistance, defense support, and economic aid to help the Ukrainian people in their most desperate hour of need.

We care for our servicemembers and our veterans by providing $224 million for the military's child development centers; strengthening the VA with $598 million for suicide prevention outreach of veterans; and $840 million for gender-specific care and programmatic efforts for women.

At the Labor, Health, and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which I am honored to chair, we go even further to expand access to education, Head Start, childcare, lifesaving biomedical research, public health, maternal health, mental health, job training, and worker protection; and we support workers and support the skills they need to succeed.

We deliver for our students by providing the largest increase to Pell grants since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. By investing $14.5 billion for special education programs, $75 million for full-service community schools, $17.5 billion to support low-income students, we are giving millions of students a chance to access higher education and unlock a lifetime of opportunity.

We make healthcare more affordable and accessible; $8.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We bolster the public health infrastructure. We confront pressing health crises with $1 billion for maternal and child health, $2 billion for mental health, and $3.9 billion for substance use treatment.

Finally, we are strengthening lifesaving biomedical research, accelerating the pace of scientific breakthroughs with $6.9 billion for the National Cancer Institute, $1 billion to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, ARPA-H. Together we are accelerating the pace of scientific breakthroughs for diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.

I must, however, express my disappointment that the Hyde amendment remains in this bill. I am the first Appropriations chair since 1977 to remove it, because I understand that this is an offensive and discriminatory policy which has shut out countless women from the reproductive healthcare that they deserve for more than 40 years. While Republicans blocked our efforts, I will never stop fighting to ensure equal treatment for women.

The ten bills in this package include community projects funding, which meets the urgent needs in districts across the country and sends a clear message to the American people that Congress is working for them.

I conclude with this comment from Frances Perkins, who said in her farewell address:

There is always a large horizon, and it is up to us to

contribute some small part to a program of human betterment

for all time.

I believe that through this government funding package, we are proving that that horizon is not only large, but it is endless.

There is no limit to what we can achieve, and for the first time in a long time I believe we show just how government can work for working people once again and to achieve the betterment of humankind.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members' support for this transformative investment in working families and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill).

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

The agreement permits the Army to use 2022 funds for the Strategic Long-Range Cannons so long as it produces a comprehensive funding plan and a detailed schedule of activities.

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

I thank Ranking Member Granger, our Senate partners, Chairman Leahy, Vice Chairman Shelby, our cardinals, and all of our Members. I salute the staff on both sides of the aisle. I won't mention all their names in the interest of time, but these are the most unbelievably professional individuals I have ever met. They do the job every single day and night and they are up all night.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, while missiles and machine guns rain down death on innocent Ukrainians, President Zelensky is pleading with America and all free nations to stop buying Russian oil to fund this inhumane war.

This weekend, America should know that both parties in Congress came together, worked together in agreement to immediately ban purchases of Russian energy. I was proud to have helped lead that bipartisan effort of the House Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance, and pleased that President Biden, who fought the Russian energy ban tooth and nail, finally relented and accepted the moral choice to stand with the people of Ukraine.

The bill before us is certainly not as strong an energy ban as what Congress crafted, nor does it include Congress' crucial economic sanctions to revoke favorable trade relations with Russia and Belarus, which would have targeted all the products America buys from Russia. But President Biden insisted that these economic sanctions be dropped so that nearly half of all Russian imports to the U.S. will go untouched. For some reason, he is insisting we treat Russia, the invader, the same as Ukraine, the invaded.

It's puzzling why Russian diamonds and vodka deserve continued special treatment here in America. Those revenues all help strengthen Russia's economy to fund the war against Ukraine. President Biden insisted, regrettably, in this bill they remain protected. Our allies will certainly get a laugh.

This bill directs our trade representative to urge other nations to revoke the special trading status for Russia, even though America refuses to do it at this time. That is not a profile in courage.

I wish our President was as committed to crippling economic sanctions as neighboring Canada, which banned both Russian oil and revoked the special trading treatment for Russian products. To be clear, neither the President's executive ban nor this bill takes any action to replace Russian oil with Made-in-America energy.

Nothing in this bill includes Republican-led proposals to extend secondary sanctions on Russian energy purchases in financing around the world--as we already impose on Iran and North Korea. Nothing in this bill creates access to more American-made energy on and offshore. Nor does it approve American pipelines that could easily replace Russian oil with U.S. and Canadian energy, or accelerate approval for delayed permits for American export facilities to help the rest of the world wean themselves from the grip of dirty Russian energy.

Answer this question: Why is our country begging Venezuela and Iran, terrorist nations and thug regimes, to produce more dirty oil to send to America when America is fully capable of producing all the cleanest oil and gas in the world that we need right here at home?

As expected, the President is blaming everyone and everything for high prices and inflation--including the war. Higher prices, as you know, have hammered Americans for a solid year, all starting with the President's $2 trillion unpaid-for COVID stimulus that ignited inflation, paid people not to work, and fueled the worst inflation in 40 years.

Thanks to the White House, America is in a dangerous wage-price spiral, and as a result of the President's failed economic leadership more and more experts are predicting a recession this year. No wonder most Americans believe our economy is already in a recession or depression and have lost faith in the President's ability to rebuild our economy.

To close, I will tell you this. The ban on Russian oil alone is worth our support. Ukraine is waiting, as Chairman Neal points out. After this bill, I urge Congress to do more: to revoke Russia's special trade status and unleash America's own ability to be energy independent, to replace Russian oil with American sources, and use our energy strength to wean the world from Russian energy.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), the Republican leader of the Trade Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), the chief deputy whip for the Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice), the Republican leader of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker), who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is a longtime leader on human rights.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. Speaker, I will just point out, all of that was nonsense. The truth of the matter is, it was Democrat President Clinton who forced Ukraine to turn over 1,800 nuclear weapons to Russia and President Obama who stood by when Putin took over parts of Ukraine. Now, under President Biden, we stand by while he looks to invade and take over a sovereign nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill to the Committee on Ways and Means.

I will also ask to have my amendment, that suspends permanent normal trade relations with Russia, included in the Record.

While there is broad agreement to stop imports of Russian energy, to stand with Ukraine, Congress does need to do more. That is what this motion does.

As we talked earlier, when we talked about amending the rule to offer American-made energy production, the idea of doing sanctions without American energy production is incomplete at best.

But when it comes to trade with Russia, we also need to take stronger steps, stronger bipartisan steps. We had a good, bipartisan agreement that stopped oil imports from Russia but also removed preferential trade on other products from Russia.

The bill we are voting on today allows about 40 percent of the total products we buy from Russia to receive preferential trade treatment. That is why we are so disappointed and puzzled about why this provision was removed from the bill, because I believe that there is sincerely broad, strong bipartisan support in Congress to remove and suspend that.

I know that Chairman Neal is committed to working together toward that goal. By not revoking PNTR, Russia enjoys the same preferential trade status and lower tariffs as all of our American allies.

Ironically, unless we change the bill, Russia will maintain the same trade status on nonenergy products, like Russian diamonds and vodka, as Ukraine, the country they invaded. That is not right by any measure. We need to be tougher together.

Congress can lead by passing this motion to recommit, which simply substitutes the bipartisan agreement we reached that both shuts down Russian oil imports and removes the preferential trade status for all of the other products we import from Russia.

America needs to lead, Congress needs to lead, to take this important bipartisan step and vote ``yes'' on the motion to recommit.

I strongly believe the effort in this bill to immediately stop purchases from Russia has support and should have support from every American, but we need to do more.

I urge my colleagues and I urge our President to stand with us with strong economic sanctions and more American-made energy to replace Russian oil.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6968, the ``Suspending Energy Imports From Russia Act.''

I support this legislation because it demonstrates the commitment of the United States in assembling and leading an international coalition of the world's leading nations to ensure that all nations refuse to recognize the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and to ensure that the Russian Federation is held accountable and sustain maximum economic damage from the imposition of sanctions as a consequence of its utter disregard for international law and norms.

Specifically, H.R. 6968 bans the importation into the United States of Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal.

Last year, the U.S. imported nearly 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia so this step will deprive Russia of billions of dollars in revenues from U.S. drivers and consumers annually.

The bill also bans new U.S. investment in Russia's energy sector, which will ensure that American companies and American investors are not underwriting Vladimir Putin's efforts to expand energy production inside Russia.

Finally, the bill bans Americans from financing or enabling foreign companies that are making investment to produce energy in Russia.

The Russian ruble is now worth less than a penny and has hit an all- time low after losing almost half of its value since Putin announced his further invasion of Ukraine.

By isolating Russia's Central Bank and cutting off the largest Russian banks from the international financial system, Russia has been disarmed his war chest of foreign reserves and left Putin to soften the blow of our sanctions.

U.S. and allied export controls are impacting industrial production in Russia, Russian commercial aviation, and other key sectors of the Russian economy.

The United States and governments all over the world are going after Putin's cronies and their families by identifying and freezing the assets they hold in our respective jurisdictions--their yachts, luxury apartments, money, and other ill-gotten gains.

The United States strongly supports efforts to assist Ukraine to defend its territory against military aggression by the Russian Federation and by separatist and paramilitary forces.

Ukraine was the second-most populous and powerful of the fifteen republics of the former and disintegrated Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the hub of the union's agricultural production, defense industries, and military arsenal.

In the three decades since gaining its independence, Ukraine has sought to forge its own path as a sovereign state and sought closer economic, social, and political ties with the free market and democratic nations of the West.

Since 2013, the Russian Federation has undertaken a campaign of political, economic, and military aggression against Ukraine, including the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a civilian airliner, by Russian-backed Ukrainian separatists using a Russian-made missile taking the lives of all 298 innocent persons on board.

In February 2014, the military of the Russia Federation, without merit or cause, invaded

the eastern part of the free and independent country of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, and backed a separatist insurgency in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed over 14,000 people.

The United States, a strategic ally of Ukraine, reacted swiftly to the Russian invasion, condemning the military action in strong and bipartisan fashion, and providing military, humanitarian, and non- military financial assistance to the determined but beleaguered nation of Ukraine, which since 2014 has totaled approximately $1.5 billion.

On September 14, 2014, the House of Representatives adopted H. Res. 726, a resolution supporting the right of the people of Ukraine to freely determine their future, including their country's relationship with other nations and international organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion by other countries, and committed itself to solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Interference and unprovoked aggressions by the Russia Federation ordered and led by Vladimir Putin continued unabated, including the mobilization and stationing of 150,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine and armed forces positioned in Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north, including war planes and offensive missile systems, and the movement of Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea to Ukraine's south, including amphibious assault ships, missile cruisers, and submarines, and the positioning of blood and medical equipment into position on their border.

Vladimir Putin sought authorization from the Russian parliament to use military force outside of Russian territory by staging a fraudulent on-camera meeting of his Security Council to grandstand for the Russian public and by recognizing sovereign Ukrainian territory as so-called independent republics in clear violation, again, of international law, all of which was intended to set the stage for further pretexts and further provocations by Russia Federation to make further aggressions against Ukraine by military action.

Vladimir Putin rejected every good-faith effort the United States and its allies and partners made to address mutual security concerns through dialogue to avoid needless conflict and avert human suffering.

On February 23, 2022, the Russia Federation military, at the direction of Vladimir Putin, began a premeditated brutal assault on the people of Ukraine without provocation, without justification, without necessity, making outlandish, false, and baseless claims that Ukraine was about to invade and launch a war against Russia and that Ukraine was prepared to use chemical weapons, and that Ukraine had committed a genocide.

These actions were taken by Vladimir Putin at the very moment that the United Nations Security Council was meeting to stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty to stave off invasion, culminating in missile strikes on historic cities across Ukraine, followed by air raids and the invasion of Russian tanks and troops.

Mr. Speaker, through this legislation the United States strongly condemns and opposes the unprovoked invasion and egregious act of aggression against sovereign state of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the most provocative and destabilizing act of foreign aggression since the 1938 invasion of the Sudetenland by the Third Reich led by Adolph Hitler.

This legislation visits the costs of the unprovoked aggression and invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin, the authoritarian head of the Russian Federation against the sovereign nation of Ukraine on the Russian economy.

The United States is strongly committed to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

I ask all members to join me in voting for H.R. 6968 to support the right of the people of Ukraine to freely determine their future, including their country's relationship with other nations and international organizations, without interference, intimidation, or coercion by other countries.