Floor Statements

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, as of January, energy prices were up 27 percent across the board. Gas prices were up 40 percent from a year ago. Natural gas was up 24 percent. Fuel oil was up 46 percent.

High energy prices have a huge impact on our economy. Obviously, they represent a significant, direct burden on Americans trying to fill up their cars or pay the utility bills, but they also contribute to price hikes across our economy. High gas prices and other energy costs contribute to price increases on a whole host of other goods. Manufacturers facing higher transportation costs thanks to high gas prices, for example, are often forced to pass on at least some of those increased costs to consumers in the form of price hikes.

Now, while Democrats helped create our current inflation crisis with their so-called American Rescue Plan spending spree last March, President Biden is not solely responsible for high energy prices. He is responsible, however, for the fact that he is pursuing an energy agenda that is almost guaranteed not only to increase American energy prices long term but also to increase our reliance on foreign sources of energy.

Since the day he took office, President Biden has pursued an agenda that is hostile to conventional sources of energy; namely, oil and natural gas. When it comes to energy, he is focused almost exclusively on alternative energy technology--specifically on electric vehicles, which his administration has clearly picked as its preferred winner in the clean energy stakes.

Now, I should say I am a longtime supporter of clean energy. In South Dakota, we derive a significant amount of our energy from hydropower and wind. In fact, in 2020, 80 percent of our utility-scale generation was renewal, about half of that from hydro. I have long championed cleaner burning renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.

But the fact of the matter is, our Nation is not going to be fully transitioning to 100 percent zero-emission energy anytime soon no matter how much the administration would like it to. There are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before we can rely solely on clean energy. Consumers, first and foremost, need affordable and reliable energy supplies, especially consistent baseload energy.

Clean energy technology has simply not advanced to the point where it needs to be in order for us to rely on clean energy exclusively. We are going to need an ``all of the above'' energy portfolio for a while yet, including oil and natural gas, and it is a disservice to the American people to pretend otherwise.

We should absolutely continue to invest in clean energy and pursue clean energy technologies in a fiscally responsible manner, but we also have to ensure that our Nation has the oil and natural gas that it needs for our economy to run and for Americans to be able to afford to heat their homes and to get where they need to go.

As I said, since taking office, President Biden has pursued an agenda hostile--hostile--to conventional energy production. He set the tone on his first day in office when he canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline--an environmentally responsible pipeline project that was already underway and that was to be paired with $1.7 billion in private investment in renewable energy to fully offset its operating emissions. He also almost immediately froze new oil and gas leases on Federal lands, sending a clear signal to oil and gas producers that his administration would be reluctant to work with them to increase American energy production.

He has continued along the same lines ever since. He seems to think that he can hurry along the clean energy future he dreams of by discouraging oil and natural gas production here at home, but he can't. As I said, clean energy sources are simply not at the point where they can solely power American homes or our economy.

The only effect of curbing conventional energy production would be to force Americans to rely more on foreign sources of oil and natural gas, and that is a big problem. It is a big problem. It is a problem because the more we rely on foreign sources of energy, the more vulnerable Americans are to energy price spikes and to global shortages. It is a problem because relying on foreign sources of energy often means relying on energy from tyrannical governments in volatile areas of the world.

U.S. imports of Russian energy have spiked during the Biden administration, and the current conflict in Ukraine is a reminder of just how big of a problem that is. In the first place, the dollars we or other nations spend importing energy from Russia are dollars Russia is free to use to prosecute its unjustified invasion of Ukraine and any other country that it decides to attack. In the second place, when you rely on another country for your energy needs, you end up beholden to that country.

Now, while we have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia, we have yet to directly sanction Russia's energy sector, and other countries have also held back on sanctioning Russian energy. There is little question that this reluctance stems from both fears of price hikes as a result of sanctions and from fears of lessening the availability of Russian energy supplies.

The truth is, we should be sanctioning Russia's energy sector. Energy production is the lifeblood of the Russian economy, and sanctioning Russian energy would be one of the most effective ways of halting Putin's imperial ambitions.

It is unfortunate that the President has not put our Nation on stronger footing energy-wise so that we could more easily weather these challenging times. The only acceptable American energy policy is an ``all of the above'' energy policy that invests in both clean energy technologies and conventional energy sources. That is the only way--the only way--to keep energy prices down and ensure America's energy needs are met no matter what is going on in energy-producing countries around the globe.

Now, if the President really wants to lower energy prices for American families, as he indicated in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, he could reverse his rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would be a much welcome recognition that liquid fuels will be part of our energy composition well into the future.

He could fast-track environmentally responsible domestic oil and gas production on Federal lands.

He could work to overturn the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision that will make it more difficult to get approval for natural gas pipelines.

He could ensure that the Department of the Interior releases new land for responsible oil and gas development--something the Department is required to do quarterly by law.

He could encourage financial institutions to invest in conventional energy production and reinstate the January

2021 proposed rule that would prevent large American financial institutions from blacklisting the conventional energy sector.

Finally, he could also get serious about leveraging American agriculture as an energy solution, specifically restoring integrity to the renewable fuel standard. This means not only setting robust blending targets and rejecting specious small refinery exemptions but approving advanced fuels from corn kernel fiber and restoring the year- round sale of E15.

These measures and others like them, combined with clean energy investment, would help lower energy prices now and in the future and help put our Nation on a path to long-term, full energy independence. It is the best decision President Biden could make for American families struggling with high energy prices, and it is the best decision he could make for the long-term security of our country.

I hope he will rethink his hostility to conventional energy production and spend the next year of his administration embracing the kind of ``all of the above'' energy strategy that this Nation so desperately needs.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, last night, President Biden delivered his

State of the Union Address. While the President tried to put a positive spin on things, the truth of the matter is the United States is not thriving under Democratic control.

On the economic front, of course, Americans are struggling under the burden of the worst inflation in 40 years. There are Americans raising families today who had not yet been born the last time inflation was this bad.

Under Democratic control, Americans have seen their standard of living decline as they face massive increases in the price of basic necessities from groceries to gas. Inflation is so bad that despite wage increases in 2021, Americans saw a de facto pay cut. After months of ignoring soaring inflation numbers, the President and congressional Democrats have at last been forced to start talking about inflation.

Unfortunately, it has become clear they still don't understand why this inflation disaster happened and how their massive government spending spree--the so-called American Rescue Plan Act--helped create this crisis. ``The American Rescue Plan helped working people--and left no one behind,'' the President said in his speech last night. ``It worked.'' ``It worked,'' he said. If President Biden believes that, I have some oceanfront property in South Dakota to sell him.

The truth of the matter is that working Americans are struggling right now in large part due to the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan Act was not a targeted COVID relief bill. It was a massive, unnecessary spending spree that sent too much government money into the economy, and, predictably, the economy overheated as a result.

I am glad that Democrats are starting to acknowledge our inflation crisis, but it would be nice to see them recognize how it actually came about and commit to not repeating their mistakes in the future.

Inflation is not the only domestic crisis that we have been facing on Democrats' watch. Our Nation is also experiencing a border crisis that has resulted in a security, enforcement, and humanitarian nightmare. Almost from the day the President took office, we have seen a massive surge in attempted illegal immigration across our southern border, and there is no end in sight.

In January, the Border Patrol encountered more than 150,000 individuals illegally trying to cross our southern border, the highest January number in more than 20 years. These numbers, of course, only reflect individuals the Border Patrol has been able to apprehend. A Department of Homeland Security official recently stated that more than 200,000 individuals have successfully evaded apprehension since October and have disappeared--disappeared--into our country, more than 200,000 individuals. It is not surprising. The Border Patrol is stretched thin and lacks sufficient resources to deal with this never-ending border surge. But it is deeply concerning. There are 200,000 people entering our country without any security check or vetting, raising the risk of drug traffickers, criminals, or even terrorists finding their way into our communities.

But perhaps the most concerning thing is that a full year after this massive surge began, the President generally continues to act as if this border crisis doesn't exist. He is apparently unaware of or can't be bothered to deal with the real security risk that this represents for our country.

The President did allude to securing the border last night--something he does periodically--but given his track record, I am not holding my breath. In fact, he hasn't even visited it nor has the Vice President, for that matter.

When it comes to the world stage, things are a little better. The President's first year in office was distinguished by his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which weakened our national security, diminished our standing with our allies, and resulted in our abandoning thousands of Afghans who had worked with us and whom we had promised to protect.

Currently, we are facing another international crisis--Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. While this is a crisis of Vladimir Putin's making, President Biden was slow to move weapons and resisted imposing sanctions before Russia attacked. I hope that in the days to come, the President will stand strong against Russian aggression and not hesitate to impose any additional sanctions that may be necessary to isolate Putin and his cronies and to halt the Russian advance.

As I said, the United States is not thriving under Democratic control. A big reason for that is because the President and congressional Democrats have had one thing on their minds since taking office and that is implementing a wide-ranging, far-left socialist agenda.

Democrats' lack of leadership on the big issues facing our country and our world has been striking. I think the truth is that Democrats have seen those big issues as distractions from their real goal in taking office, and that is implementing that far-left agenda. While inflation spiked and then spiked again, Democrats were AWOL. They were focused on passing a massive tax-and-spending spree that would unquestionably make our inflation problem even worse.

And when that failed, they turned their focus to a Federal takeover of election law that they hoped would give them an advantage in the November elections.

This week, as Vladimir Putin continued to pursue his apparent dream of reconstituting the Soviet Union by pushing further into Ukraine, Democrats took a vote on, of all things, legislation to remove virtually all State-level restrictions on abortion.

Yes, that was the big vote this week--legislation to remove nearly every State-level restriction on abortion, despite the fact, I might add, that the majority of the American people support restrictions on abortion. But that doesn't matter to Democrats. If the Planned Parenthood wing of the party wants a vote on unrestricted abortion on demand, that is what it gets.

In yet another example of just how far the Democratic Party has run to the left and just how disconnected Democrats have become, last week, John Kerry, who serves as President Biden's climate chief, expressed his hope that war with Ukraine would be averted because of the carbon emissions such a war would create and how the war might distract from climate change.

You can't make it up. At the time of his remarks, Russia was on the verge of invading a sovereign nation--and possibly condemning an entire country to Soviet oppression--and a key member of the President's administration was worried about how the war might distract from climate change.

I am a longtime supporter of clean energy, but we have a big problem when members of our country's leadership are looking at the imperialist takeover of a sovereign nation, and their biggest concern is not human life and human freedom but carbon emissions.

But it is another sign of just how ideological the Democratic Party has become. Nothing--nothing--is allowed to come between the Democratic Party and its far-left agenda.

President Biden made some nods toward bipartisanship last night, but it remains to be seen whether Democrats and the President are capable of setting aside their far-left agenda to address the priorities facing this country. And given some of the measures the President proposed last night, I have my doubts.

But I hope--I hope for the sake of our Nation--the Democrats will rethink their evermore rigid allegiance to the far left and instead work with Republicans in a bipartisan fashion.

The American people deserve better than what Democrats have given them over this past year.

I yield the floor.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe).

Mr. President, over the past week, the world has watched in horror as once again an imperialist Russia sets its sights on a sovereign nation in Eastern Europe.

Vladimir Putin's unjustified and unjustifiable war of aggression has already left hundreds dead and created a massive refugee crisis as noncombatants flee Russian attacks.

At this minute, Russia continues to press forward with attacks on several fronts, with a focus on the capital city of Kyiv, but courageous Ukrainian resistance, both from its formal military and from an increasing number of civilians, is slowing Russia. Kyiv and other major cities remain under significant pressure and could fall within days, but Ukraine is demonstrating a fierce resolve and continuing to blunt Russian advances.

Russia has also been a victim of its own deficiencies, such as poor targeting, broken supply lines, and a limited ability to fight at night. Surprisingly, Russia has not yet established full air superiority, with some Ukrainian jets still flying and some air-to- surface systems still available. This means Ukraine can still fly combat sorties and strike back against Russia. Similarly, Ukrainian command, control, and communications appear to be intact.

How long these conditions can last, however, is an open question, which underscores the urgent need to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to stay in this fight and to bring the free nations of the world together to sanction and isolate Russia for its unjustifiable aggression. This is Ukraine's fight, but the United States and allies can provide weapons and humanitarian assistance while imposing swift and severe sanctions against Russia.

We must also shore up NATO to send a signal to Putin that the United States will make good on our defense commitments. This is essential not only to help prevent this war from spreading farther into Eastern Europe but to send a message to China that similar acts of aggression will not be tolerated. We know Taiwan remains in the crosshairs of President Xi, and just as Putin is flexing his power in Europe, communist China is looking for any opening to pounce.

Many pundits have speculated about Putin's mindset and ultimate goal with this attack and how far he would be willing to go despite mounting losses. I think it is clear he is willing to take it to the next level. We should be concerned that as Russia continues to meet heavy resistance, Putin will order his generals to increase pressure no matter the cost--this means no matter the cost to his own troops, many of them young soldiers and conscripts, and no matter the cost to the Ukrainian people.

Putin's failures in Ukraine and mounting international pressure may also spur Putin to escalate beyond Ukraine and lash out against the West. He has already ordered his nuclear

forces on high alert--yet another unprovoked escalation that has drawn immediate condemnation.

The United States and other free nations must match the resolve of the Ukrainian people and respond with swift and severe consequences for Putin and his cronies. The people of Ukraine have shown their fierce determination to fight, drawing inspiration from emerging stories of heroism.

A reported ``Ghost of Kyiv'' fighter pilot has allegedly scored six kills against Russian jets. It may only be an urban legend, but it has captured Ukraine's underdog grit nonetheless.

Ukrainian border guards on a remote island in the Black Sea refused to surrender to the Russian Navy in a defiant radio transmission.

A Ukrainian solder sacrificed himself on Friday by manually detonating charges to collapse a bridge when there was not enough time to detonate them remotely before a Russian column closed in.

A Ukrainian woman defiantly addressed Russian occupiers, offering them sunflower seeds and telling them to put the seeds in their pockets so that sunflowers will grow when they die in Ukraine.

Ukraine has handed out over 18,000 weapons to reservists around Kyiv, with social media posts showing men and women lining up to volunteer. Ukrainian Parliament Member Kira Rudik is taking up arms, hoping to inspire other women to join the resistance. Ukrainian media is broadcasting instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails to attack Russian vehicles.

Then there is President Zelenskyy, who has led the Ukrainians with extraordinary resolution and courage. President Zelenskyy is believed to be Putin's top target, and there are reports of Russian forces being sent into Ukraine for the express purpose of assassinating Ukraine's President. Yet, according to press reports, when he was offered the chance to evacuate, Zelenskyy said:

The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has also been visible in Kyiv, saying Ukraine will resist ``forever'' when asked how long the nation can hold out.

Ukraine's resolve has been on display for the world to see, as have Vladimir Putin's true colors. Putin was given every chance to choose diplomacy and peace. Instead, he chose war.

Putin has offered wild justifications for his attacks, suggesting that Ukraine somehow posed a nuclear threat to Russia and is governed by neo-Nazis and drug addicts. He has also called for Ukrainian soldiers to defect and to ``take power into their own hands.'' It may be that Russia is laying the groundwork for a narrative that there is an organic pro-Russian contingent within Ukraine, possibly within the Ukrainian military itself, to be stood up as an ``authentic'' coup to carry out regime change. Putin has also claimed that the Ukrainian military is moving equipment into residential neighborhoods, which would be consistent with a resistance or insurgency defensive posture but will also give Russia pretext to increase civilian targeting.

Vladimir Putin is apparently on a delirious quest to restore the Soviet Union and once again see Ukraine under its thumb. Unfortunately for him, he apparently reckoned without the people of Ukraine. Each missile that strikes a village, every rocket that strikes an apartment building, every tank that rattles by a once-quiet town will only further stoke Ukrainian's resentment of the Kremlin.

Judging by the way Ukrainians are fighting, I don't think they will ever accept Russian rule. As the growing number of Russians boldly protesting in the streets--from Moscow to St. Petersburg to Siberia-- and online are making clear, Putin is also losing the trust of everyday Russians, particularly of the younger generations whom he is likely leaning on for conscripts and who will inherit a decimated economy. Even the daughter of Putin's own spokesman posted on Instagram ``No to war!'' which went viral before it was deleted.

Russian protests have spread to more than 50 cities, and, in keeping with his KGB past, Putin's response has been to detain protesters and restrict access to Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately for him, however, it has become clear that he will not be able to fully hide the truth from the Russian people. Russians are clearly coming to know Putin as a murderous warmonger who will isolate them from the free world.

It is unfortunate that the world did not take a more aggressive stance against Vladimir Putin before he invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. I supported sanctions against Nord Stream 2 and the other punitive measures of the NYET Act before Russia made its attack. It is too bad it took Putin actually going to war for the world to get serious about checking Russian aggression. However, I am pleased that the United States and our partners are finally moving forward with unprecedented sanctions against Russia's economy.

The United States is sanctioning Russia's central bank and freezing its assets in the United States, and a growing number of nations are united to block Russia from the SWIFT financial transaction messaging system. If blocked from this system, Russia will have to conduct run- of-the-mill banking transactions directly between banks, adding costly delays that should discourage any business with their banks. Putin has also joined the select list of despots, like Kim Jong-un, individually sanctioned by the United States.

While I am glad we have taken these steps, there is more we can and should do, including directly targeting the lifeblood of the Russian economy, and that is Russia's energy sector. Every dollar the world denies Putin by not buying his oil and gas is one less dollar he has to spend on his war of aggression in Ukraine.

The conflict in Ukraine is also a timely reminder that energy independence is not only economic security but national security and that here in the United States, we need to do everything we can to get our energy producers off the bench and into the game so that we don't have to rely on foreign regimes for energy supplies.

The situation is also a reminder of how important it is to make a robust investment in our own military to restore our Nation's readiness. The Vladimir Putins of the world will only respond to strength, and we need to ensure that our Nation's military is prepared to meet threats from traditional state actors as well as terrorist organizations. When it comes to dictators like Putin, the best way to secure peace is through robust deterrence.

As Congress reviews the administration's supplemental request for foreign security and humanitarian assistance, we cannot offset this funding by degrading our own defense. This is a military emergency-- just ask the people of Ukraine--and we should treat it as such. I hope Congress will come to a sensible solution in the days and weeks ahead.

My thoughts and prayers today are with the people of Ukraine. I hope they know that their courage and determination have inspired millions, and I pray that the United States and freedom-loving countries the world over will continue to do our part by providing the lethal aid Ukrainians need to stay in this fight and by implementing biting sanctions that will leave Putin and his cronies out in the cold.

I yield the floor.

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

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

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).

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

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