READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2023

Madam President, President Biden, on June 3, 2021, issued a memorandum on ``Establishing the Fight Against Corruption as a Core United States National Security Interest.'' I want to quote from the President when he issued that memorandum. President Biden said:

Corruption threatens United States national security,

economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts,

and democracy itself. . . . [B]y effectively preventing and

countering corruption and demonstrating the advantages of

transparent and accountable governance, we can secure a

critical advantage for the United States and other

democracies.

Corruption is a national security core interest. Corruption is the source of Mr. Putin's resources that he uses for his international activities, including the war in Ukraine and to try to bring down democratic states.

Today, the Atlantic Council is releasing a report--the report titled ``Why the kleptocrats still win: A strategy for the United States and Europe to address weaponized corruption.'' The report points out how the kleptocrats hide their wealth in Western countries because they believe it is safer in Western countries to hide their wealth. And the report points out the need for us to coordinate efforts between the United States and Europe.

Today, I am filing legislation, the Combating Global Corruption Act. I am joined by my friend Senator Todd Young of Indiana--bipartisan legislation--to deal with the U.S. leadership in fighting global corruption. It will give the State Department and the United States an important tool. It will give the United States leadership in showing the international community the steps that need to be taken in order to counter corruption. It would require the State Department to publish a list of countries in three tiers, the highest tier being those countries that are taking the steps necessary to fight corruption; the bottom tier would be those countries that are not making the required effort to deal with corruption in their country.

The State Department will be using internationally established standards for fighting corruption that the international community has already signed off on as being the proper way to fight corruption in your particular state.

For example, it references the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, the Organization of American States--the OAS--that was passed in 1996: acknowledged procedures in our hemisphere to deal with corruption. It references the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, international business transactions of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development--the OECD--which was adopted in 1997.

It references the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime that was agreed to in 2000 and the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which was agreed to in 2003.

These guidelines already exist and allow the United States to use those guidelines that have already been established by the global community to judge how every state is meeting their commitment to fight corruption.

Countries that are not meeting their commitment, we put a spotlight on them. That spotlight encourages them to do more. It points out ways in which they can take action to fight corruption in their own country.

Now, this is not a new strategy that we just came up with that we start giving a report on all countries on how well they are doing in fighting corruption. It is not a new concept. We have done that successfully in several other areas. One that we should take great pride in this institution--because we were ones who established this-- is the Trafficking in Persons requirements.

Today, the United States files a report on every country as to how well they are meeting their international responsibilities to protect the modern victims of slavery, trafficking in persons. It has been bipartisan. It has been very effective.

Secretary of State Blinken said, in releasing the report of this year, on July 19, 2022, he said:

Today we're releasing the 2022 Trafficking in Persons

Report. It assesses how 188 countries and territories,

including the United States, are performing in terms of

preventing trafficking, protecting victims, prosecuting

traffickers. That makes this one of the most comprehensive

sources of information anywhere on anti-trafficking efforts

by government--what works, what doesn't, and how we can

continue to do better.

We do that in preventing trafficking. We can do that in stopping corruption.

We have a country report on human rights. Again, I will quote from Secretary of State Blinken when he released this report on April 2, 2022. This is a report that judges all countries on how well they are dealing with human rights. Secretary Blinken said, in releasing that report on April 2 of last year:

For nearly five decades, the United States has issued the

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which strive to

provide a factual and objective record on the status of human

rights worldwide--in 2021, covering 198 countries and

territories. The information contained in these reports could

not be more vital or urgent given ongoing human rights abuses

and violations in many countries, continued democratic

backsliding on several continents, and creeping

authoritarianism that threatens both human rights and

democracy--most notably, at present, with Russia's unprovoked

attack on Ukraine.

[A]nd using resources like the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, we can come closer to building a world where respect for human rights is truly universal.

That human rights report works. Putting a spotlight on what countries need to do brings about change. It promotes a core value in the United States, respect for human rights and good governance. We do that here in the United States to show global leadership.

I will mention one other report that is issued by our State Department, one on international religious freedom. Again, this was bipartisan. So on June 2 of last year, Secretary Blinken said, when he released the International Religious Freedom Report:

This report offers a thorough, fact-based review of the

state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and

territories around the world. We produced this document every

year since 1998. . . . Now, more than two decades later, we

have more than 35 governments and multilateral organizations

that have created offices that are dedicated to this goal.

This year's report includes several countries where we see

notable progress thanks to the work of governments, civil

society organizations, and citizens. For example, last year,

the Kingdom of Morocco launched an initiative to renovate

Jewish heritage sites like synagogues and cemeteries, and to

include Jewish history in the Moroccan public school

curriculum. . . . [T]his report is about

spreading that kind of progress to more parts of the world. .

. . Unfortunately, the report also shows that we have more

work to do.

There is value in what we do in showing the international community what works, what doesn't work, what countries are doing to make progress, whether it is on trafficking, whether it is on human rights, whether it is on religious freedom. And we need to do the same on fighting corruption. We had the model that works. And the legislation that Senator Young and I have introduced today allows us to provide such a report in fighting corruption.

The legislation also gives the Secretary of State some additional tools that could be helpful. The bill directs the Secretary of State and Treasury to evaluate whether there are foreign persons engaged in significant corruption for the purposes of potential imposition of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act in the countries listed in tier 3. That is the lowest performing tier.

I mention that because the Magnitsky Sanctions have had a proud history in this Chamber. We initiated the Magnitsky Sanctions originally against Russia because of the torture and death of Sergei Magnitsky. We then made it global for those that are perpetrating gross violations of international human rights.

I introduced the legislation with my partner who was the late Senator McCain. The two of us said we need to include corruption as one of the basic human rights violations that would be eligible for individual sanctions. And we did.

In the last Congress, we made the Global Magnitsky Sanctions permanent. And I was proud that we were able to do that in the National Defense Authorization Act. What is unique by these sanctions is that they are individual. They are not against the country. They are personal to the individual who violates the basic rights.

And what does it do? It prevents them from getting a visa to come to America because they like to visit their wealth that is here in our country. And it prevents them from using our banking system. It works.

It was reportedly the first issue between Mr. Putin and President Trump in their first bilateral summit meeting. Mr. Putin was upset about these sanctions. Good. I am glad that he is.

This legislation that Senator Young and I have introduced allows us to look at whether we should be using these individual sanctions--these Magnitsky Sanctions--against the perpetrators of corruption who have not been held accountable in their own country.

There is lot to be said about why this legislation is so important. So I would like to just conclude by pointing out the bill that we introduced today is nearly identical to the bill that we introduced in the last Congress. It was reported out on a bipartisan basis by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

I want to thank Senator Menendez for his help and Senator Risch for his help. This is not a partisan bill. This is a bipartisan bill to promote an American value and a national security concern and that is making sure that America leads in fighting corruption so we do not have the resources going into a country like Russia, where Mr. Putin uses it to try to bring down our system of government.

I urge my colleagues to join me and Senator Young in this effort. I hope that we are able to pass this bill quickly in the U.S. Senate.

We came close to doing it in the last Congress. We can get it passed in the House and signed by the President. I think we will look back at this day when that report comes out and say that we were able to accomplish concrete improvements in making this world a better place, in promoting American values, that this report will make a difference.

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about the need for more American energy.

We are approaching the end of January. Winter storms have been covering the country from Colorado to Connecticut. We are seeing it everywhere: Temperatures drop. Energy prices go up. In a typical year, cold actually kills more Americans than extreme heat. This winter, millions of families are in danger of being left out in the cold because of the cost of energy. We know that more than 20 million households in America, right now, have fallen behind on their ability to pay their energy bills.

Record-high inflation has robbed the American people of more than $10,000 for each and every family since Joe Biden has become President. Just look at what people were paying for things before he came into office and what they are paying today. As a result, people are able to save less, and they are having to pay more. We know that about two out of three American households are living paycheck to paycheck. Personal savings in this country is now at a record low; household debt is at a record high. People are having to borrow more money and put things on the credit card at higher and higher interest rates.

At the same time, energy prices are dramatically higher than they were the day Joe Biden took office. The cost of heating oil is up by two-thirds. Natural gas is higher now than in a long time. Electricity is up by 20 cents on the dollar. As a result, there is actually the risk of people having their energy and their electricity shut off this winter. Some are doing it voluntarily because they don't want the big bill that is going to come.

It is hard to believe that it is happening here in the wealthiest country in the world. We have enough energy to keep every American warm this winter. Some of it, they won't let us get out of the ground, but we have it. So it is an absolute disgrace, with the energy resources we have in this country, that Americans are facing brownouts and blackouts from an energy standpoint because of the Biden administration's radical climate policies. Millions and millions of Americans are living with financial fear and with massive frustration at this administration for ignoring the needs of the people.

So what are the Democrats doing about it? Nothing. Joe Biden actually sold some of our emergency Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. You wouldn't believe that; yet it happened. Our petroleum reserve is for America. It is for emergencies. It is for natural disasters. It is for war. It is not for China.

This week, I am introducing legislation to make sure this never happens again. The House has already passed this legislation. The vote was completely bipartisan, more than 100 Democrats voted for it in the House. There is no reason it shouldn't be bipartisan here in the Senate as well.

So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in this effort. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is for us. It is not for our enemies.

Joe Biden has promised to use our tax dollars--I mean, it is astonishing. He went to the United Nations and said he was going to give $11 billion a year to the United Nations for climate reparations-- for energy we have used--giving away American dollars when Americans can't afford to pay for energy costs here at home. Why is he doing it? If you listen to his speech, it is because he wants to say he is sorry. That is what we have, a President who wants to apologize once again for America. He wants us to feel guilty about the fact that we have built the strongest economy in the world by

using oil, gas, coal--all of the energy resources that we have in this country.

The American people have nothing to apologize for. Joe Biden is wrong. We shouldn't apologize for being an energy superpower. We shouldn't apologize for using our energy resources. If he wants to apologize, he ought to be apologizing to the people of the United States for the policies he has put in place that have driven up costs and caused pain for families all across America. He should apologize for raising taxes on American energy. He should apologize for wasting tax dollars.

The Secretary of Energy--his Secretary of Energy--has given more than $200 million in loans to companies in China. The Secretary of the Treasury is going to China soon. She met with China's Vice Premier recently in Switzerland. According to the Treasury Department, she agreed to ``enhance cooperation [with China] on climate finance . . . as well as support for . . . developing countries in their clean energy transitions''--in other words, more American taxpayer dollars for other people in other countries.

Again, the excuse for all of this is climate.

The Democrats in Washington are utterly obsessed with the green dreams of the coastal elites who run the Democratic Party, who call the tune. Again and again, the Democrats side with the climate elites over the common folks. I hear it in Wyoming. I hear it no matter where I travel in the country. The Democrats are offering working families nothing more than higher taxes and higher prices, and they continue to raise taxes.

The Democrats just threatened to ban natural gas stoves. Nearly half of the homes in America use natural gas. This is the administration--a nominee by the President. That is what he said. He didn't say it once. He said it repeatedly. The Democrats also just raised taxes on coal by more than $1 billion.

So what happens with all of these new taxes? They get handed down to working families in Wyoming and across America. What happens with higher taxes? It means higher prices and higher energy costs.

Janet Yellen is flying around the world and offering more of our tax dollars to these other countries. Last week, there was a large Democrat political rally held in Switzerland, at a place called Davos. The masters of the universe flew to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.

From the television reports and the news reports, much of the conversation was about climate. The President's energy/climate czar, John Kerry, was there. He gave a speech. You talk about somebody with smug superiority; he just thinks he knows better than anybody else.

Here is what he said. This is from John Kerry:

It's extraordinary that we, a select group of human beings

. . . are able to talk about saving the planet.

Thank you, John Kerry. You are going to save us all. I can hardly wait.

He added:

If you say that to most people, they think you're just a

crazy, tree-hugging, lefty, liberal do-gooder . . . but

that's where we are.

Well, John Kerry, you are right. Most people--certainly, anybody in Wyoming--who would listen to you would say you are just a crazy, tree- hugging, lefty, liberal do-gooder. That is who we have got from the President of the United States doing his climate bidding in Switzerland. This is exactly what people think about John Kerry and the climate crisis and the positions of this administration.

As if one failed Presidential nominee and candidate weren't embarrassing enough, then we had a real Vice President who came to speak, a former Vice President named Al Gore. Anyone watching Al Gore speak would say that, basically, he descended into an unhinged rant. About what? Well, climate of course. That is all he ever rants about. The former Democrat Senator and Vice President said we are ``boiling the oceans.'' That is what we are doing, apparently, he said, if we don't obey his energy policies. Well, I am sure he and John Kerry have great times together. ``Boiling the oceans.'' He even said we are creating what he called ``rain bombs.''

He wants to save the planet as well, and I would say: What planet is he on? That is what we are seeing coming out of this administration as their voice on the world stage.

When it comes to energy, what are the Democrats offering? A fairytale, a fantasy, and a fraud. That is what we hear from the Democrats. The Democrats' green dreams are causing nightmares for working families, who have to pay for all of this. The only green thing about the Democrats' energy agenda is how much green it costs American families.

John Kerry said it himself. He said:

How do we get there?

And he said:

Money, money, money.

That is his answer--American money, American dollars--and he is going to save the planet.

Europe has already tried its own Green New Deal. It has been a disaster for the working people of those countries. We can't let that happen here. We just cannot.

The International Energy Agency projects a record high demand for oil later this year. This is at a time when Joe Biden is making us keep it in the ground. Wyoming is the energy breadbasket of the Nation. We have it. It is affordable. It is available. It is reliable. That is not good enough for Joe Biden. No. He wants to go to Iran, go to Venezuela, go to Saudi Arabia, with hat in hand, and beg them to produce more and send it here. It is interesting listening to the climate elites as they are fixated on renewable energy regardless of the costs and regardless of the consequences.

The Democrats need to stop this science fiction. It is long past time for America to unleash our energy and stop this foolishness coming from the administration that has us buying energy from our enemies instead of selling it to our friends. We have an abundance of American energy, and the Democrats want to keep it buried in the ground. For every American family who is struggling to make ends meet and is falling further behind because of the inflation caused by the Democrats' spending, it is time to unleash American energy right now.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. 41 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

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