Responding to Americans' Concerns

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to join my colleagues and share some very important perspectives and messages.

House Republicans are responding to many concerns held by Americans across the country, from this historic crisis happening at our southern border to the increasing cost of everyday goods and services as a result of the Biden administration's tax-and-spend agenda that is burdening hardworking families from New York to California, from Utah to Ohio.

Just this weekend, Americans watched as Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, our ally, and yet again threatened Israel's very existence.

The American people deserve better. They deserve better leadership from this the administration, better stewardship of our Federal resources, and better strength on the global stage.

I am grateful to my colleagues for joining me on the House floor this evening to share their thoughts on how these issues are impacting their constituents and our Conference's solutions.

We look forward to hearing from a few of my colleagues this evening.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Moore for his leadership. We appreciate it very much.

Mr. Speaker, last week, on April 2, the New York Post published an op-ed that explained the proven conservative position of peace through strength. This continues the world-changing success for expanding freedom of Senator Barry Goldwater and President Ronald Reagan. There are over 20 countries now of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia that are free today because of the defeat of Soviet communism, which war criminal Putin wants to revive.

The article is titled: ``Kudos to Speaker Johnson: Moving Ukraine aid is critical to national security,'' by Daniel Kochis, a senior fellow of the Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia. The Hudson Institute was founded by the visionary Herman Kahn and is universally respected for its research and accuracy.

I am grateful to find and learn that Ambassador and Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina will now be a valued fellow.

The column in the New York Post reads: ``Speaker Mike Johnson's Easter announcement that he will bring a new Ukraine aid package to a vote . . . is welcome news. Congressional backing for Ukraine assistance has been mired in the political muck for months. More than 5,000 miles away on the front lines, the maddening impasse has needlessly cost Ukrainian lives and territory.

``Three-quarters of Americans recognize that the Russian war against Ukraine and the conflicts that allies Israel and Taiwan face are important to U.S. national interests. It is time Congress got on the same page as its constituents and found a way to move critical support over the finish line.

``For Ukraine, the dearth of new aid has left soldiers to ration ammunition. Russia's artillery advantage has consequently increased by an order of magnitude. Moscow has been firing five times the number of shells per day as Kyiv for most of the year.''

This isn't in the article, Mr. Speaker, but you should understand many of these shells came from North Korea, from the dictatorship in the DPRK, which is also threatening our allies South Korea and Japan.

``Russian forces simply out-pummeled Ukraine's defenders. Some good news came 2 weeks ago: The Czech Republic has stepped into the breach in a major way, scouring the world to secure 800,000 artillery shells. The first batch could reach Ukraine early this month, a lifeline that will allow defending forces to start shooting more rounds, secure in the knowledge that replacements are on the way.

``But while the Czech Republic's role as intermediary in finding, purchasing, and securing permissions for the export of critical stocks of munitions is phenomenal, it won't fill the void left by a lack of American assistance and leadership.''

``It is in America's interest to continue to aid our friends, most especially those defending their families and homes in Ukraine. Inaction not only harms U.S. national interests; it is expressly not what the American people have told policymakers they desire.

``Multiple recent polls have found a majority of Americans continue to back the aid to Ukraine, both economic and military. Behind closed doors, most congressional Members recognize the importance of continuing assistance. . . .

``From a military point of view, Ukraine is far better off today than it was 2 years ago and Russia far worse. And though from a moral perspective, the war remains starkly black and white . . . declined. . . .

``The administration allowing the war to fester by continuing to balk at sending Ukraine the systems it needs to win hasn't helped. . . .

``Team Biden's shockingly shortsighted and incompetent Afghanistan withdrawal is still fresh in the minds of many Americans, and they do not want a repeat. But failing to robustly stand with Ukraine and decisively defeat Russia makes this specter more likely to happen. The outcome of Russia's genocidal campaign there will have far broader implications for America's future security than either Afghanistan or Iraq. There is, however, room for optimism.

``Unlike in Afghanistan or Iraq, America is not a combatant in Ukraine, but we do benefit from its success. Despite some recent territorial setbacks, Ukraine can defeat Russia and its backers in Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran--if it has its allies' consistent, stout backing.

``The situation on the front lines--and in the minds of Americans--is far from irretrievable, but it starts with Congress finding the will to do what is in the long-term American interest: Send Russian President Vladimir Putin a clear bipartisan message that the United States will stand by Ukraine for the long haul.

``Conservative lawmakers certainly have a duty to engage the administration on the migrant crisis, an issue of key importance to the public, but they should do so separately, recognizing Ukraine's national security importance. Linking aid to migration is a disservice to the American people. Support for Ukraine is not a worthless donation but a downpayment on a more secure and prosperous future. The American people know this; Congress should prove it does too.''

Additionally, I include in the Congressional Record an op-ed that I provided in The Washington Times of February 9, 2022. This indicates: ``Why Ukraine Matters for American Families: A destabilized world with higher inflation, gas prices.'' [From the Washington Times, Feb. 9, 2022] Why Ukraine Matters for American Families (By Joe Wilson)

Why does Ukraine matter for American families? Simply put: Energy prices, inflation and the empowerment of our adversaries across the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to recreate the Soviet empire, divide our allies in Europe, and expand his malign influence across the globe.

Rather than former President Donald Trump's approach of Peace Through Strength, President Biden's foreign policy can best be characterized as war through weakness. During the Trump administration, Mr. Putin never attempted anything close to such an invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Putin understood that a severe price would be paid, as Mr. Trump, along with Congress, more than tripled the size of the European Deterrence Initiative, providing military support to countries on Russia's borders, and selling Javelin missiles to Ukraine, which former President Barack Obama failed to deliver.

The Biden administration gave Mr. Putin the biggest gift an American president has ever given the Russian dictator by waiving sanctions required by Congress in the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act, despite Mr. Putin's hacking and shutting down the Colonial Pipeline for six days, and shocking gas prices, just months earlier. Mr. Putin's answer: more aggression and the largest-ever military buildup on Ukraine's border. Rather than push back, Mr. Biden just two weeks ago appeared fine with a ``minor incursion'' into Ukraine. Biden officials have floated pulling back missile defense deployments in Europe, limiting the size and scope of military exercises, and even reentering the failed Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty, which was violated by Russia and was withdrawn from by Mr. Trump, if Mr. Putin promised not to enter Ukraine. Yet even Mr. Biden seems to understand that his policy has completely failed, with CNN reporting that Mr. Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday that an invasion by Russia is all but assured.

Mr. Putin wants to keep Ukraine dependent on Russian oil. He wants the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to neutralize Germany. With money, the oligarchs controlling the oppressed Russian people can attempt to re- create the Soviet empire with a military-industrial complex, recently developing hypersonic missiles to attack America as Russia threatens to send troops in Cuba and Venezuela. In addition, Mr. Putin is working closer than ever with China in the military and economic arenas. Both countries are directly helping Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, bypass American sanctions.

The effect of a war in Ukraine on American families will be catastrophic. China is following our weak response to Mr. Putin's aggression in Ukraine closely, in addition to our surrender in Afghanistan, as it threatens Taiwan in an unprecedented fashion and moves even closer to aggression against the island. In addition, the results will be felt by Germany, Japan, Korea, Israel and India with the cost of gas increasing, doubling in my state of South Carolina alone, from the Trump administration to the Biden administration, crippling families with more inflation as transportation and delivery costs create shortages.

On my visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, in December, I was shocked that the Biden response was repeating the Afghanistan disaster of leaving Americans behind to provide $40 million ``after the invasion.'' Of note, there are currently 10,000 Americans in Ukraine, and 14,000 Ukrainians died in the 2014 Putin invasion.

I am grateful with bipartisan cooperation, the Biden policies have changed to reinforce the Trump policies of javelin missiles to Ukraine, reinforcing American troops in Poland, and promoting blocking of Nord Stream 2. It was revealing that our Delegation Leader, Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona, was publicly threatened in a television interview by a member of the Russian Duma to be kidnapped and brought to Moscow for trial for supporting Kyiv.

The Biden policy should be Peace Through Strength. War can be avoided if we impose real costs on Mr. Putin. The latest defensive weapons for land, air and sea should be provided to Ukraine, the largest country in Europe by geography with 43 million citizens. Our German allies should terminate Nord Stream 2 and its corruption forever. We should also immediately kick Russia out of the International SWIFT Code System, sanction the Russian financial system and sovereign debt to ensure that Mr. Putin does not have the resources to finance an invasion.

I was grateful to co-lead the Putin Accountability Act with the Republican Study Committee, which would do just that along with sanctions of Mr. Putin and his family directly, and his network of corrupt oligarchs.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Indeed, this op-ed, over 2 years old, actually is as true today as it was when it was published; that is, it does matter to American families, and we need to be understanding to protect the borders of Ukraine, of Israel, Taiwan, and America.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for his words and his steadfast work on the Armed Services Committee and all national security matters.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for sharing that information. It is part of the job that we need to be doing and what we can do to uncover and for a thorough analysis.

Mr. Speaker, I will next yield to my colleague from the great State of California (Mr. LaMalfa).

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and appreciate his willingness to participate always.

Mr. Speaker, as I wrap up our Special Order and my remarks, the world watched over the weekend as Iran launched an unprecedented attack on our ally, Israel.

This attack deservedly was met with scorn and contempt from governments across the world, and it was reassuring to see such strong cooperation from the U.S., U.K., Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to intercept Iranian missiles to keep Jerusalem and its holy sites from being completely destroyed.

I never thought I would be in that situation, to be in Congress, to be a part of legislation this week, to be at this moment, to meet this moment.

People watched across the world because of these holy sites. Look, I have said this before, and as I finalize my thoughts here, I think back to one of my first meetings in my first term of Congress. I got to meet with the Consul General from the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. He was in Utah, and I got a chance to sit down with him. I said, as I dig into this, I am so impressed with the Abraham Accords.

Candidly, I think it was President Trump and Vice President Pence's most significant success in our foreign policy during their administration. The Abraham Accords are diplomatic and trade relationships with Israel and Arab nations. I mean, when you think about the years and decades and centuries of us trying to find common ground and peace in that region of the world, we created an opportunity, and the U.S. was a big part of this, to establish these relationships with Arab nations and Israel. Potential bellwether countries like Saudi Arabia could have joined on.

I asked him what the recipe was for success to make that happen, and he said that it came down to one thing, that these Arab states--Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain--knew the U.S. stood firm against Iranian aggression. That was what he boiled the whole entire experience down to.

Nobody in that region wants Iran to gain more influence. They want to destabilize everything over there. The whole region understands this. Arab nation, Jewish nation, whatever, they all understand that Iran wants to destabilize.

They want to have the U.S. as a presence, a strong presence, to make sure that the U.S. had the backs of Arab nations and had Israel's back against continual potential aggression from Iran.

Knowing that, they were willing to enter into these trade relationships that were potentially treacherous because Iran doesn't want anybody to have a trade relationship, a diplomatic relationship with Israel.

This is my number one, biggest complaint with President Biden's foreign policy, is to just--okay, look, President Obama was going on the JCPOA, so let's just start those talks back up again and completely ignore the success that we had had to create peace in the Middle East.

It is something that every President has wanted. President Clinton, watching what he was trying to do, the absolute tragedy of the assassination that took place during his time. Every President, Republican or Democrat, has wanted peace in the Middle East.

To flatly say and to overlook the reason why the Abraham Accords were successful and to not take that type of same strength to Iran, it was the biggest blunder, I believe, in President Biden's foreign policy approach in that particular region.

Is it any wonder why we are sitting here today with unprecedented drone and missile attacks directly on our ally Israel?

You have to stand up to Iran in order to promote peace in the Middle East. You cannot have it all. You can't have the entire pie. You have to call it as it is sometimes and cut it off.

The JCPOA should never have been reengaged. It has not created any positive outcomes over in the region. Can anybody disagree with that?

Are we better today in the Middle East than we were when we had the Abraham Accords thriving? No, we are not, and everybody knows that. Anybody who is honest is willing to address it.

If you want to be Israel's ally, you cannot also continue to pander to Iran. It is not a recipe for success, and that is not just from the Israeli point of view. That is from the Arab State point of view. I hope to impress upon the Biden administration recognition of that.

That is what we are trying to do this week, putting several floor measures up to hold Iran and its proxy groups accountable for their actions. We will continue to hold the line in supporting Israel and ensuring they have what they need to defend their freedom.

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