Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise this morning to discuss national defense and, in particular, the importance of the NATO alliance as quite a number of our friends from NATO have arrived in Washington to celebrate the 75th annual meeting of this important defense organization.

I can hardly talk about national defense and NATO and the importance of keeping our defenses strong without calling attention to the sad fact that our former colleague, Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, passed away today. I am told that Senators Lankford and Mullin will seek recognition at a later time to speak extensively about this remarkable statesman who has passed from among us, and Members will be notified of when that might be should they want to join in.

But at this point, at this pivotal moment when I wish to talk about national defense, let me just say a word or two about my friend and colleague of some 30 years, Jim Inhofe.

As a young man, as a young family man, Jim Inhofe quickly learned how to build a business and create jobs, and he did so successfully. Only a few years later, as a municipal leader, he found out how to build consensus and he took that knowledge with him to Capitol Hill as a Member of the House of Representatives and then as our colleague here in the U.S. Senate.

Jim Inhofe demonstrated that he continued to know how to build consensus and get things done for his fellow Oklahomans as well as for his fellow Americans.

Anyone who knew Jim Inhofe knew that he was a dedicated Christian. Jim Inhofe was a man of great faith with, in particular, a heart for Sub-Saharan Africa. He visited there countless times, encouraged numerous--probably hundreds--of his fellow Senators and representatives to accompany him to visit some of the most challenged countries in Sub- Saharan Africa. He hosted countless Prayer Breakfasts there. He got to know the leaders in those countries and their families by name. He was a remarkable Christian friend to those in Africa.

Jim Inhofe was an accomplished pilot. He flew solo around the world at age 56. As a Member of Congress, he was known as a straight shooter who was not afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom, as he did so on numerous occasions.

Jim and his wife Kay were married for 64 years. Together, they had four children and 12 grandchildren, one of whom they found and adopted and rescued during a trip to Africa.

I would mention that Kay Inhofe has been a special friend and adviser to my wife Gayle for these decades.

Again, I am informed that Senators Mullin and Lankford will lead fuller discussion of this remarkable statesman who has passed from among us. But today, as I talk about national defense and NATO, I send my love, and we in the Senate send our love and condolences to the entire family and to the State that he loved, Oklahoma.

Thank you very much to my colleagues and to the Chair.

The world has grown too dangerous for the remaining NATO members not to meet the 2-percent mark. We all must make it a priority to increase defense spending. It is shocking and unacceptable that some allies, especially some capable ones, have yet to reach the 2-percent requirement that they agreed to.

Friends can speak candidly to one another, and so I will. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, is among this group, which has not and, for several years in the future, will not reach its need.

I was able to meet with Prime Minister Trudeau just a few moments ago and was glad to hear him say that an announcement will be made from our friends in Canada, perhaps later this week, about a new plan to more quickly reach that 2-percent goal. And I call on him to fulfill that statement that he made to us in private. We look forward to that, and we congratulate him on that effort.

NATO allies shouldn't outsource security to others. But this challenge presents an opportunity, one that adds to the mandate we give the incoming Secretary General. The transatlantic industrial base has withered, and we also need to attend to that. And that should be part of Secretary General Rutte's new platform.

In the past, our friends of freedom have had to follow our lead as we pursue a ``peace through strength'' agenda. Today, Europe has not kept pace as it should.

The United States has begun investing heavily to rebuild its arsenal of democracy, and we need to continue doing so. But we are still waiting for the dramatic increase in European 155-mm artillery production. We have yet to see the expanded lines of long-range cruise missiles such as the Storm Shadow and the Scout.

We have heard promises of a reinvigorated defense industrial base in Europe, but those assurances have yet to be fulfilled.

So as he assumes office, Secretary General Rutte should join us in recognizing the 2-percent commitment is, in truth, insufficient in light of Russia's newly mobilized war economy. There are additional issues standing in NATO's way. Its members remain mired in their own domestic issues. They must, of course, attend to these domestic concerns, but they also remain tangled up in an alliance bureaucracy that struggles with basic expansions in munitions production capacity.

These challenges are significant, but Mr. Rutte and the elected governments of our alliance must not abide the status quo. We should consider this situation unsustainable, and we should say so.

NATO asks its members for 2 percent; in my 21st Century Peace Through Strength report, I recommended that we in the United States spend 5 percent of GDP on national defense--as did President Reagan. My plan is primarily designed to deter the Chinese Communist Party, but it also calls for the United States to deepen commitments to Europe.

For a few examples, I recommend permanently stationing an armored brigade combat team in Poland. My plan proposes increasing our rotational deployments in Eastern Europe. We should also improve intelligence sharing and communication among allied forces.

Time and again, the United States has learned, sometimes the hard way, we cannot walk away from Europe. Together, the transatlantic alliance represents half of the world's economy. There is simply no way to contain Beijing's economic aggression without working together closely.

Likewise, a stagnant U.S. military budget and halfhearted European defense spending cannot contain Russia's antagonism.

So thank you for your indulgence.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Mississippi, I submit this statement into the Congressional Record to honor the public service of Mr. Jack Winstead. In both his professional and personal capacities, he has worked faithfully to make the most of Mississippi's natural resources and to care for our State's veterans.

Jack pursued his education at East Central Community College and Mississippi State University, but he had begun serving well before completing his studies. As an undergraduate, Jack began working with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, SCS. He went on to dedicate the next 35 years of his life to SCS.

Associations, commissions, and boards across the State have noticed Jack's expertise. Jack has not kept his skills to himself. Instead, he has given generously to the many who have

asked for his help. He has embraced leadership roles at the Mississippi Soil and Water Commission, the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, the Newton County Cattleman's Association, and more. Then- Governor Haley Barbour appointed him to the commission on environmental quality. Jack has worked on statewide, countywide, and local issues, and Mississippi's natural resources have benefited from his dedication.

All of those accolades are a testament to Jack's value to our State, but he is not focused on titles. Today, he is the president of the Friends of Mississippi Veterans, a group which cares for those who have served in uniform. In particular, Jack has been working to support the 600 men and women living in one of the State's veterans nursing homes. Jack and his wife Jeanette have also established an endowment scholarship at East Central Community College.

Jack has said he is grateful to serve those who have made such a difference to our Nation. It is exactly that spirit that characterizes the best of Mississippi, and, for that reason, I am eager to praise him today in the Congressional Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the attached article entitled ``Lessons from Ukraine'' by Alan W. Dowd in the American Legion Magazine be printed in the Congressional Record.

Mr. President, for the first time in 24 years, this week, Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin visited the North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un. This rare trip was a sign of a new reality, and it amounts to bad news for the United States and for our alliance and for the forces of freedom around the world.

An axis of aggressors continues to emerge, and this visit by Putin to Kim Jong Un is just the latest sign. Our adversaries: Russia, North Korea, China, the Ayatollah's Iran have been banding together to create a world that is less free, less peaceful, and less prosperous for the American people. Every Member of the Senate knows this. And we have an opportunity to respond, and there is a glimmer of good news.

Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which I am a member, overwhelmingly voted to move the National Defense Authorization bill forward. We wrote the bill specifically to address this rising danger.

Our near unanimous support for passage of the NDAA is a sign that we agree on at least one thing: The United States is not ready to stand up to this axis of aggressors, this new group who are banding together and assisting each other as they never have before. And we don't have time to waste.

The Armed Services Committee has put that conviction into practice. Senators from both sides of the aisle added an additional $25 billion to the legislation, to the top line of this legislation--$25 billion dollars which would invest in the munitions and systems we need to confront this axis and to prevent war, to preserve the peace and prevent war.

Vladimir Putin's visit to Kim Jong Un was more than just a ceremony. The two autocrats signed a defense pact between North Korea and Russia, agreeing to help each other militarily. This new pact is troubling, but it should come as no surprise. It is only the latest step in their growing partnership.

For 2 years, North Korea has been supplying Russia with millions of artillery shells and hundreds of ballistic missiles for Putin's illegal war against Ukraine. In exchange, Moscow has helped Pyongyang evade the sanctions that previously held back the North Korean economy.

The Russian-North Korea partnership is just one aspect of the growing axis of aggressors. China has supported Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. China has sent weapons components and geospatial intelligence to Vladimir Putin. In return, Moscow has sold all to China.

Iran has supplied--Iran, in another section of the world, has supplied hundreds of ballistic missiles and thousands of deadly drones for Putin's terror campaign against Ukrainian citizens.

Russia has returned the favor by sending Tehran advanced air defense missiles and jets. All four of these countries--Russia, Iran, North Korea, and communist China--have supported Hamas's hateful and illegal attack on Israel, and they have supported the Houthis' reckless campaign against international commerce.

Time and again, my colleagues and I have been calling attention to this evil alliance. We in the United States should expect more meetings like the one that took place in Pyongyang this week.

A year ago, China hosted the first State visit of Iranian officials-- first time ever that communist China has hosted a State visit of Iranian officials. Just last month, Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is not an accident. These instances are not unrelated.

At these meetings, handshakes will turn into hardware. You can be sure of that. Our adversaries will continue sending the tools of war to each other, further destabilizing the free world.

And as the world is changing, so must the United States. We must return to what we know works best, what has been proven to work best. We must increase our military capability, and we must do it now, which is why I am so thankful to my colleagues on a bipartisan basis for what they have done in the National Defense Authorization Act in committee.

In May of this year, I released a detailed plan to make sure that we return to a necessary level of support for our military. We entitled it the ``21st Century Peace Through Strength'' document, and it contains proposals for every theater and every domain of warfare.

A number of elements in the report are particularly relevant to the budding North Korea-Russia relationship and to China's nuclear breakout. In my plan, I recommend serious conversations with our allies and partners--conversations about how to meet the

threats we share. With our allies South Korea, Japan, and Australia, we should discuss nuclear burden-sharing agreements. It is time for them to step forward and join us in nuclear burden sharing.

Just as former Japanese prime minister, the late Shinzo Abe, suggested in 2022, we should also explore redeploying American nuclear weapons back where they have been in the past, to that region, to keep North Korea and China in check.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has taken a first step to fix our nuclear shortfalls in the Pacific. And this is as a result of a panel of experts that this Congress authorized, that this President signed legislation for, and which has met over the past several years, and which reported to us on--not a bipartisan basis but a unanimous bipartisan basis.

Our action in the NDAA reflects that unanimous recommendation of experts. In that regard, we authorized the continued development of the sea-launched nuclear cruise missile. This will help us rise to the challenge posed by our adversaries' tactical nuclear weapons.

The committee has also focused its defense budget increase on exactly the kinds of weapons and infrastructure that will be most helpful as we seek to deter our adversaries--to deter our adversaries from making a fatal mistake so that we can continue the peace.

Those steps are tailored to the Pacific, but the goals match the overall theme of this year's National Defense Authorization Act.

Just as we did under the administration of Ronald Reagan, we can achieve peace through strength. But we must achieve it through strength. That is the way Reagan did it, and he did it with a Democratic Senate and a Democratic House for many of those years.

We can contain the rising axis of aggressors, but we can do so only if we make a once-in-a-generation investment in our Armed Forces.

This is not a luxury. This is not a frill for our military that is to be desired by some of them. This is an absolute necessity.

Listen to the witnesses that have come before us in open sessions of our committee. Almost to a man and a woman, they have said: This is the most dangerous defense situation that we have had in, if not decades, generations.

These are the people that we look to for information and leadership, and this is the nonclassified testimony. Those of us who see all of the information, see further need for this necessity, not this frill.

So, as I said earlier, my Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues agree. We recognize the danger, and we have taken the first step to meet the moment. Last week, we did agree to the defense topline increase of $25 billion, and, frankly, experts who have done this before tell you that we really needed twice as much. But this is what we could get passed out of the committee.

The topline increase is a downpayment on the defense investment that is necessary to keep Americans safe. It would help reverse the downsizing of our Navy, help reverse the downsizing of our Air Force, and would bring the next-generation weapons to the field faster.

It includes $5.5 billion to accelerate production of key munitions and counter-drone gear.

The increase would invest over $1 billion in space capabilities crucial for 21st century warfare. And, Mr. President, you know this and every Member of the Senate knows this: The next war, if we cannot avoid it, will be fought in space, and it will be fought with lasers, in addition to the oceans and in addition to on the ground. We are in need of providing ourselves with the resources to meet that kind of new warfare that we have never seen in the history of mankind.

It would invest $6 billion in military construction and maintenance for our barracks, training ranges, and military infrastructure, and a pay raise for those Americans--those brave young Americans, those brave young men and women--who are willing to step forward and say: I am going to take an oath to serve my country during dangerous times.

So Putin's visit to North Korea is just another sign that we have no time to waste. The axis has already started solidifying, as I pointed out.

Senate leadership needs to bring the NDAA to the floor for a vote soon. Delays only diminish American strength and embolden our adversaries.

Again, I commend my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, and I call on our leadership to bring this essential legislation forward now so that we can let the appropriators know what we actually need.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Mississippi, I submit this statement into the Congressional Record to honor the public service of Dr. Steven T. Reed. In his professional and personal capacities, Dr. Reed has gone above and beyond for the good of his community.

In 1991, Dr. Reed graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with highest honors and a degree in biochemistry. He pursued further studies at the Southern College of Optometry, receiving a doctor of optometry. After completing his education, he embraced the entrepreneur's life by opening his own clinic in Magee, MS.

Over the years, countless Mississippians have benefited from Dr. Reed's expertise. He reached even more of his neighbors when he opened additional clinic locations in nearby cities.

Despite the demands of running a business, Dr. Reed has consistently found time to help those around him. He is a member of the Magee Lion's Club, and he stepped up to lead the Magee Chamber of Commerce. At his church, Dr. Reed chaired the stewardship committee and served as a deacon.

The optometry community has repeatedly demonstrated its respect for Dr. Reed. His colleagues have placed him in numerous leadership positions at a variety of organizations, including but not limited to the Congress of the American Optometric Association--AOA--and the Mississippi Optometric Association, MOA. In both 2010 and 2016, Dr. Reed received the MOA's James P. Brownlee Optometrist of the Year Award.

This year, he will assume the presidency of the AOA, the first Mississippian to be named to the role. His activities as president- elect characterize his charitable instincts. Today, he is helping lead the ``Eye Deserve More'' campaign, which encourages the public to sign up for eye examinations. It is out of gratitude for that spirit of service that I praise Dr. Reed today in the Congressional Record.

Mr. President and my colleagues, for too long, political leaders have shied away from being honest and having a difficult conversation with the American people about our national security. Elected officials have kicked the can down the road, failing to tell the country just how dangerous the world has become. It is past time to confront this issue.

Many Americans do not know that the safety we enjoy has been secured by a global network of U.S. military bases, diplomatic efforts, and international coalitions, as well as massive amounts of equipment and ammunition. We have taken our security for granted, not knowing that much of it has been enabled by a previous once-in-a-generation investment made decades ago.

President Ronald Reagan led Congress to rebuild the U.S. military in the 1980s. I will hasten to add that it was a bipartisan Congress who joined President Reagan in this effort. Americans have been living off that investment ever since.

Because of those efforts, we have rested easy under the umbrella of overwhelming military superiority. Today, though, our military streak is diminishing to dangerous lows--dangerous lows. That umbrella of security has become a false sense of security. The U.S. Navy is the smallest and oldest it has been in over eight decades--80 years. Our Air Force is shrinking. Much of our military infrastructure is out of date.

This is a fact, and it is no secret. Time and again, U.S. military leadership comes before Congress and tells us we are facing the most dangerous security environment since at least the Cold War, if not since World War II.

Most Americans don't know that we are long overdue for a generational replenishment of our weaponry. We have delayed updating our military even as China has gotten closer and closer to matching our military might. The news gets even worse: China is actually multiplying its strength by spearheading a new axis of aggression, joined by Russia, Iran, and North Korea. So far, China has not moved against us because its dictator, Xi Jinping, knew he would lose, but just over the horizon, he might have reason to feel differently.

We in Congress must tell the American people what is at stake. Failing to deter China would immediately trigger a global economic depression. Losing to Beijing would extend the hardship, darkening the course of the entire 21st century. I am not trying to be alarmist, but we need to be honest.

This bleak future is possible but not inevitable. I recently introduced a detailed plan to rebuild American military might and restore our ability to deter threats. It would be a downpayment for our future. It would be expensive--many worthwhile things are expensive-- but it would be far less costly than war.

Political neglect has put us in this vulnerable position. It does not have to be this way. My goal is to launch a much needed conversation about how we can turn the page on that complacency and to get started right away with corrective action. I have been inviting my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join in this discussion. I will continue to extend that invitation. But there is really no time to waste. We need to get started this year. We can do so next week when the Armed Services Committee in the Senate begins the NDAA markup, the National Defense Authorization Act. During our meetings, I will introduce an amendment to raise the level of this year's defense investment significantly. My amendment will be an opportunity for the kind of debate for which this Chamber is renowned.

In considering national spending priorities, we have thought of ourselves as hamstrung by spending caps, but we simply have to dream bigger when it comes to our vital national security. I hope this debate will lead to a defense topline number that meets the moment.

President Reagan's buildup kept the peace and won the Cold War, and it did so without firing a shot. The future can be just as peaceful and secure for our children and our grandchildren, but it is time we made that investment in the future.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, on behalf of the people of Mississippi, I submit this statement into the Congressional Record to honor the public service of Ms. Louise Smith. She has dedicated her life to the success of students in her hometown, Pascagoula, MS.

Louise earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music and education, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She subsequently put that knowledge to work at Gautier Middle School, where she is completing her 22nd year teaching band.

Time and again, Louise's bands have achieved successes. Like all great teachers, she has brought out the best in her students. Her bands have earned superior ratings in concert and sight reading, and they have been invited to perform at the Louisiana Concert Band Invitational. Her students frequently merit high marks in solo and ensemble performances. They earn placements in band clinics and the Mississippi Lions All State Band.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Louise's students clearly feel fondly toward her, since several have followed in her footsteps. She has inspired students to become band leaders at other schools in Mississippi and Alabama.

Over the last few years, Louise's giftedness has been recognized at even higher levels. The Mississippi Department of Education named her the 2023 Mississippi Teacher of the Year. More recently, she was one of just five educators nationwide to receive the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. Both awards commemorate her impact on Mississippi students, and they give her opportunities to share her wisdom with other teachers.

Louise's response to these awards characterizes her commitment to public service. She praised Mississippi teachers, rather than herself. For that reason, I am eager to praise her today in the Congressional Record.

Mr. President, I submit this statement in recognition of the second annual National Rendering Day. I am honored to represent many great rendering companies in Mississippi. The responsibility for feeding the world extends beyond the farm, and rendering helps ensure we can meet the growing global demand for food, feed, and fuel, while reducing food waste and loss.

Renderers positively impact local, State, national, and international economies. In particular, American renderers generate $10 billion in annual economic benefit to the country. Much of this investment comes in the form of small businesses, which create numerous jobs and illustrate the American dream.

Rendering is the largest industry involved in preventing food loss and waste. Due to North American consumer preferences, only half of each

animal produced for meat is consumed for food. By recycling these animal products, renderers create valuable ingredients from resources that would otherwise be taken to landfills. Renderers also collect billions of pounds of used cooking oil from restaurants and food manufacturers, which they upcycle into products and sustainable fuels. The practice also feeds cattle, hogs, turkeys, chickens, household pets, and other animals.

Today, on National Rendering Day, please join me in recognizing renderers' countless contributions to the U.S. economy and stewarding our natural resources.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. President, there is a very good chance that there will be good news this weekend for America's security, for European peace, and for a signal to be sent for strength and success for the alliance of free nations.

Yesterday afternoon, the Speaker of the House said that Congress will soon send a very important message. And, yes, it is correct; the House will send an important message. In the next few days, I believe Congress will remind the tyrants of the world and the free

people of the world that America stands strong and that America keeps its word.

I commend Speaker Johnson for doing the difficult thing but the right thing. He followed the admonition actually of the Apostle Paul. The Speaker could have put his own interest above the interest of others, but he did not.

The eyes of our friends and our foes have been on the House of Representatives, and the Speaker rose to the occasion. He recognized that this moment was too important to squander for political expediency.

The world is indeed on fire, and this administration's weakness has fanned those flames. At the very least, President Biden's drip-drip- drip approach has failed to douse the flames on the international fire.

And make no mistake. Russia, China, and Iran, with its terrorist proxies, are working together, and they are conducting war on two fronts: in Israel and in Ukraine.

And I agree with a bipartisan majority of this Senate and the House of Representatives that America has an important role to play in both of those conflicts.

America is an exceptional nation with an exceptional task: to lead on the world stage and to make it clear that we can be counted on to keep our promises.

At important moments throughout our history, there has always been a group advocating for American retreat. Some of my friends today want the United States to withdraw, to stay behind our own safe walls--as if that were possible. But time and again, the American people have learned--sometimes with some difficulty, sometimes reluctantly--that retreating does not create safety. What happens abroad reaches our shores. Whether we like it or not, it just does.

Like the Speaker, I am a Reagan Republican. Ronald Reagan stands in history as a leader who achieved peace--peace through strength.

In the next few days, I believe we will work toward that goal by sending aid to our ally Israel and by improving our ability to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. I also believe we will do that--I believe we will work for that peace through strength--by sending additional lethal aid to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is a proven war criminal. If he is allowed to win, he will not stop in Ukraine. Ukrainian people have proven themselves capable on the battlefield--remarkably capable. They have achieved remarkable wins against the Russian dictator. They did so even this week. They simply ask us to give them the tools to keep doing that job.

Speaker Johnson said we should be sending bullets to Ukraine, not American boys. I agree. His son will soon put on the uniform as a midshipman, and my son continues his military service in the Air Force Reserve. So this is personal to me, and it is personal to the Speaker of the House and for many parents whose sons and daughters proudly serve, including Mississippians on Active Duty and in the National Guard.

I recognize that some of my colleagues disagree. I am glad they will be given a chance to vote their conscience, as our Founders intended when they designed our system of government, through their willingness to agree, disagree, and then come to a conclusion with each other. The system they built has remained sturdy. It has weathered contentious times at home and abroad.

Mr. President, some talking heads today equate compromise with weakness. Our Founders did not do so, and neither do I. Momentous times, perilous times compel us to work together, and it is not weak to do so.

Everyone in the House and then everyone in the Senate will soon get to make their voice heard on this very important topic. When all is said and done, I hope and pray we will reassure our allies and remind our adversaries that America still stands for freedom, and we stand for peace through strength.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, a parliamentary inquiry.

I appreciate that my friend from New York is eager to get this done with, but are we about to set a precedent that the allegation of a felony is not a high crime and misdemeanor?

Madam President, there are other ways for the majority to move this off the floor of the Senate, but I would urge my colleagues to--

--understand what we are doing.

Mr. President, time is running out. Time is running out for Vladimir Kara-Murza.

I was just at an event across the street with Vladimir Kara-Murza's wife Evgenia and their children. It was a bipartisan meeting of House and Senate Members and interested citizens. We all agree Secretary of State Blinken must secure the release of this U.S. permanent resident and Russian political prisoner, Vladimir Kara-Murza, before it is too late because, as I said, time is running out.

In the spring of 2022, Mr. Kara-Murza spoke the truth about Russia's evil invasion of Ukraine. The Putin regime responded by arresting Mr. Kara-Murza and sentencing him to 25 years in jail for speaking the truth.

Only a corrupt regime would make it a crime to express an opinion to speak the truth. But that is what Vladimir Putin has done. He has arrested an innocent person and put him in jail for speaking the truth.

It has been a year since I led a bipartisan group of 81 lawmakers in an appeal to the Secretary of State--this same Secretary of State Blinken. It was the first anniversary of Mr. Kara-Murza's imprisonment. We urged the administration, on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, to label Vladimir ``unlawfully and wrongfully detained.''

We asked for that designation because that title is more than just words under the statute. It would prioritize Mr. Kara-Murza's case at the State Department, and it would unlock new tools for our negotiators to act with speed and success to get him released. And he needs that speed.

Since we last wrote the Secretary about Mr. Kara-Murza, nothing has changed; nothing has changed, that is, except his decreasing health and increasing danger.

Mr. Kara-Murza's family has grave concerns that he may not survive much longer. So we are talking about the life of this permanent U.S. resident. Before this prison term, the Russian dictator, Putin, had tried twice to assassinate Mr. Kara-Murza by poisoning him. He was indeed poisoned. And although Vladimir survived each attempt, the efforts succeeded in weakening his body.

And then when Alexei Navalny recently died mysteriously in a Russian prison, Mr. Vladimir Kara-Murza became the most prominent imprisoned democracy advocate still alive in Russia. The target on his back has now grown bigger, so it is all the more important that Vladimir be freed.

This week we reach the second anniversary of Mr. Kara-Murza's incarceration. This week, I am leading dozens and dozens of my congressional colleagues in another bipartisan, bicameral request to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. I encourage even more Members to sign on to this letter before we send it to the Secretary later this week.

For 2 years, despite the danger, despite the imprisonment, Mr. Kara- Murza has not been silenced. He refuses to be silenced. Every so often, from behind prison bars, he is able to tell the world his thoughts through newspaper columns, for example.

The world has benefited from his words. No jail cell or word limit has been able to stifle Vladimir Kara-Murza's advocacy. He put it well recently. Last month, from prison colony No. 7 in Siberia, he wrote, ``Sometimes the most powerful tool of all is simply telling the truth.''

Telling the truth in Russia apparently gets you a 25-year sentence. It

takes courage to tell the truth in Russia. Let's stand with Mr. Kara- Murza as he tells the truth.

Many of us have worked with him. I consider him a friend. I admire him. He is certainly a friend of this body and of this free Republic. Let's stand with Kara-Murza now.

We have come to know his wife and children who are U.S. citizens. Let's stand with them now as they work for his freedom.

For the second year in a row, we call on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate Mr. Vladimir Kara-Murza as ``wrongfully detained.'' We call on Secretary Blinken to secure his release, reunite him with his family, keep his freedom-loving voice from being extinguished. Save his voice while we still can.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.