Ken Buck

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the threats facing conservative speech in this country. When members of government take it upon themselves to declare certain speech illegal or undesirable, they effectively silence opposition. This isn't the American way. We have seen this kind of censorship in Saudi Arabia, Communist China, and Soviet Russia. We never want to see it in America. Tonight, we are gathered to call attention to a shocking, coordinated attempt by progressives in business and government to suppress dissent, stifle debate, and threaten free speech. Last week, one of the largest satellite TV providers, DIRECTV, chose to deplatform Newsmax from their lineup. Newsmax is the fourth highest-rated cable news channel and is watched by more than 25 million Americans. This decision means that more than 13 million homes will lose access to Newsmax programming. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to AT&T and DIRECTV encouraging the censorship of One America News, FOX News, and Newsmax. Two years later, two out of three of those networks are now deplatformed. One year ago, after pressure from Democrats, AT&T and DIRECTV removed the One America News Network from its programming, and now DIRECTV has removed Newsmax. The Energy and Commerce Committee has immediate jurisdiction over the business interests of DIRECTV. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why AT&T and DIRECTV felt pressured to comply with committee demands. Simply put, Democrats in that committee disagreed with the content coming out of One America News Network and Newsmax and decided they wanted them canceled. This is a clear case of free speech infringement and viewpoint discrimination. Government colluding with telecommunications giants should chill us all. We are facing a concerted, unabashed effort to shrink the limits of debate by corporations in an unholy alliance with political activists and their government avatars. These companies have become willing prosecutors of dissent. Woke corporations are actively interposing themselves between Americans and the conversations they need to have. Why? Because they are afraid, afraid that the lessons they learned in progressive universities won't stand up to objective scrutiny; afraid that vigorous debate breeds societies of citizens, not sheep; above all, afraid that if they cannot anoint themselves enlightened arbiters, their ideas will just have to stand on their own merits like the rest of us. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to rethink their desire to silence opposition. The people who want to silence opponents are people who can't win debates. I urge American businesses to stiffen their spines and stand up in favor of free speech and open speech. We acknowledge that we may never know the exact mindset of the decisionmakers who decided to join hand in glove with progressives' drive to silence their opposition, but what we know is more than enough. Democrats asked, and DIRECTV delivered. Progressives spoke up, and One America News was silenced. Newsmax is now on the chopping block. Where does that leave us? Under the lengthening shadow of censorship or at the beginning of a new era when freedom fights back. I know what side I will be on. Which one will you join? Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop), my colleague from the Tar Heel State.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's passion. I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), the gentleman from the Butternut State. That is a new one for me.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman). Mr. Grothman. Mr. Speaker, I am honored that Congressman Buck has asked me to be a speaker this evening as we defend the U.S. Constitution. Our U.S. Constitution is under attack like never before. I am not talking about the Second Amendment, which, of course, is disliked by so many people on the other side of the aisle. I am not talking about the right to a speedy trial, as we see in Washington, D.C., itself, people spending months and months in jail without ending their ordeal there. I am talking about the First Amendment. Throughout my life, the First Amendment is almost the amendment that would have been most unanimously agreed to. Nevertheless, in part, I assume, because of the popular culture and in part because of our educational system, we are in a situation in which the Pew Research Center found 76 percent of Democrats support tech companies censoring online. Even more amazing, 65 percent of the Democrats support censorship by the government. How in the world did such a large, important party in this country it become apparently the accepted view of the First Amendment to be that it is obsolete? Just last year, the then-chairman of the Intelligence Committee wrote to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, threatening congressional action if Facebook did not continue to censor conservative views and maintain bans on conservative figures, such as the former President. Can you imagine people in this body saying the way we are going to deal with political disagreements in the future is we are just going to censor one side? That is what is going on here. Their message is loud and clear: Get in line, or we are going to use the levers of government to silence you. It is a chilling message, reminiscent of the practice of communists in China or Russia or Cuba. It surprises me what open criticisms of the government you can find in Russia. In China, the Communist Party exercises complete control over the internet, restricting what its citizens can search for. It is hard to believe people in this country want this country to become more like China. It is not unfounded. You can even bleed into freedom of religion. In Canada, recent court rulings have held LGBTQ rights trump an individual's right to freedom of religion. Freedom of speech should be a given. Liberal college students when I was in college used to pride themselves on defending free speech. Look at Canada, censoring views that come from the Bible. In other words, censoring religion in Canada. That is what it is coming down to in our country. I thank my friend from Colorado for giving me an opportunity to defend the Constitution, and I hope anybody back home listening to this educates their children and grandchildren. We do not have the government censoring free speech.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz), the best Florida podcaster from the Sunshine State.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I agree with my friend from Colorado that we should condemn all violence. We should condemn violence to unborn children, also, but that doesn't seem to be something that is shared on the other side of aisle. One of the pregnancy centers that was targeted last year was Life Choices Pregnancy Medical Center located in my home State and at the time in my district in Colorado. On June 25 at 3:17 a.m., first responders responded to a fire at the pregnancy center. The fire was the result of angry protestors acting out after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. Not much was salvageable from the fire, but what remained were hateful and extreme messages graffitied on the exterior of the building. Kathy Roberts, the executive director of Life Choices, is here today to commemorate passage of this resolution. I am honored to have Kathy here and to introduce this brave and dedicated woman. I thank Kathy for being here. Sadly, our Nation has become all too familiar with the violent attacks on pro-life centers. In 2022, over 100 pro-life centers were violently attacked, and there has been minimal accountability. Instead of Democrats accepting the Supreme Court Dobbs decision and condemning this violence, they have egged it on, including some who told pro- abortion protestors to rise up and commended their violence by stating it was a way for individuals to channel their righteous anger into meaningful action. Our Nation is a Nation of law and order, and violence is never the path we should pursue to create effective change.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, this bill is very simple. It removes a muzzle from employees if they have been raped or harassed in the workplace. By allowing women to expose predators in the workplace, this legislation further protects future victims. It also puts employers on notice that they must be more careful in performing due diligence and doing background checks on applicants. Finally, this bill is limited to cases of rape and sexual harassment. This bill doesn't stop a worker from waiving their constitutional right to free speech in any other circumstance. If you have trade secrets, you may be subjected to a nondisclosure agreement. If you object to the management practices of your employer, you may be subjected to a nondisclosure agreement. If you are raped, you may not be muzzled. This legislation gives us a choice. We can protect rapists, predators, and perverts in the workplace, or we can give voice to victims, survivors, and the most vulnerable among us. We can assure Americans that our employers will only hire those employees who respect others in the workplace. This bill received unanimous support in the Senate and has bipartisan support in the House. The reason is simple: We all had mothers who faced antiquated attitudes in the workplace. We don't want our daughters and our granddaughters to face those same attitudes. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this commonsense legislation. I very much appreciate the Speaker and Representative Frankel's leadership on this issue, and I hope that Republicans step up and do the right thing.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I have heard the arguments against this Big Tech bill by my Republican colleagues. My Republican friends ask why would we give President Biden a win within 41 days before an election? Let me be clear. This is not a Democrat bill, and this is not a Republican bill. Mr. Speaker, holding Big Tech accountable is an American bill. It is American legislation. We are United States Congressmen. We are serving in the United States Congress. We serve United States citizens. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing. My friends say this Big Tech bill doesn't prevent discrimination and censorship. Competition is the solution for viewpoint censorship. MSNBC may not support my views, but Newsmax and FOX will listen to me. The New York Times and The Washington Post may disagree with me, but The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times will hear me out. Google controls 94 percent of online searches, and when it changes its algorithm to discriminate against one side, there is no alternative. The same goes for Facebook, Amazon, and Apple. The real threat is that when a monopoly controls information in a democracy, it controls the results of elections. That is the threat that Big Tech poses to America. I am afraid that America may not be able to withstand that threat. Finally, my friends ask, Why give money to the Biden FTC and DOJ? America is about to give Republicans control of the oversight and appropriations process. Americans expect us to use those levers of power responsibly and effectively. It is not too much to ask for Congress to walk and chew gum at the same time? We can create competition for Big Tech and level the playing field and at the same time make sure our government treats everyone in this country fairly. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I want to use my time to quote other conservative voices. The Heritage Foundation just issued a report: This package equips the American people's Representatives with targeted, commonsense tools to constrain Big Tech companies' abuse of power. These bills represent an important step towards restoring self- governance, shoring up our national security, and enforcing current antitrust laws to promote competitiveness without expanding or unduly empowering the Federal bureaucracy. Senators Lee, Grassley, and Cotton issued a statement on September 26: `` . . . these bills improve antitrust enforcement without appropriating any more funds to President Biden's out-of-control FTC. We call on all of our colleagues in the House of Representatives to strongly support this package.'' The American Mind on September 28 issued a story, ``While GOP views on antitrust have evolved, one thing has remained constant: `antitrust enforcement is law enforcement.' You can't provide `legal amnesty' to Big Tech companies that flout antitrust laws. Defunding the antitrust police will have the same result as defunding the municipal police: enabling bad actors to harm the public.'' Finally, The American Conservative on September 29, I guess today, issued this story, ``While Buck is pushing restrained, politically viable legislation that would strengthen the average American's position in the cultural battle against Silicon Valley, some of his colleagues seem to be sticking to an overcooked theory derived from a notion of corporate personhood.'' Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following articles: ``Heritage Tech Policy Experts Applaud House Antitrust Package''; ``Republican Senators Urge House Republicans to Support Antitrust Reform Package''; The American Conservative: ``Tech Hawks Meet Resistance to a `Modest Proposal'''; The American Mind: ``Don't Defund the (Antitrust) Police''. [From the Heritage Foundation, Sept. 29, 2022] Heritage Tech Policy Experts Applaud House Antitrust Package Washington.--This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a package of three antitrust bills that would begin the important work of reining in Big Tech: the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act, Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, and Foreign Merger Subsidy Disclosure Act. Experts from Heritage's Tech Policy Center--Kara Frederick, director of the center; Will Thibeau, policy analyst; and Jake Denton, research associate--released the following statement ahead of the scheduled vote: Heritage Tech Policy Experts Applaud House Antitrust Package I The Heritage Foundation ``Big Tech companies should not have outsized authority to shape and control society. However, we have all watched these companies take an increasingly troubling share of control over our politics and culture in recent years. Conservatives should champion targeted, commonsense policies that constrain Big Tech companies' abuse of power. This package equips the American people's representatives with tools to do so. These bills represent an important step toward restoring self- governance, shoring up our national security, and enforcing current antitrust laws to promote competitiveness--without expanding or unduly empowering the federal bureaucracy. ``From providing state attorneys general with a more level playing field in critical litigation against Big Tech to exposing Big Tech's cozy relationship with U.S. adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party, this package is a requisite starting point to rebalance the relationship between American citizens and the Big Tech companies that abuse them.''

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, Big Tech is crushing competition and crushing conservative speech. H.R. 3843 contains three important measures that will help America with Big Tech. The first gives State attorneys general the ability to file their lawsuits and keep those lawsuits in their States. The 48 State attorneys general have asked Congress to move this bill forward. It received broad bipartisan support in the Committee on the Judiciary. The second is a bill that Senator Hawley and our colleague, Congressman Fitzgerald, have supported. It basically prohibits China from buying small high-tech companies so that they can steal our innovation. The third bill that is combined with H.R. 3843 raises filing fees. Make no mistake, there are controls on these filing fees. They have to be appropriated for the FTC by the Appropriations Committee. That is a control. The Appropriations Committee, I hope, will be under Republican control in the next Congress, and it will be controlled so that nobody in the FTC is using these funds in an inappropriate way, other than reviewing the mergers at issue. Mr. Speaker, my friend Senator Cruz has said it absolutely correctly: The greatest threat to democracy in this country is Big Tech. Senator Lee, Senator Cotton, and Senator Grassley support the House version of this bill because it is a conservative bill, a bipartisan bill, and a bill that will help America deal with Big Tech. I hope my colleagues will support H.R. 3843.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the generosity and patriotism of agricultural trailblazer Bob Sakata, who passed away on June 7, 2022, at the age of 96. Bob's life encapsulated the American principles of perseverance, endurance, and courage. Through his innovation and dedication, Bob left an indelible mark upon the Colorado community. In 1941, when the U.S. declared war against Japan, Bob and his family were sent to an internment camp in Topaz, Utah. With the assistance of his former high school teacher, who vouched for his character, Bob obtained an early release from the internment camp and relocated to Brighton, Colorado, where he worked on a dairy farm. In 1944, Bob's employer loaned him the money to purchase 40 acres of farmland in Brighton. This land paved the way for Bob and his family to start a new life following World War II. Bob became a giant in Colorado's agricultural industry and was renowned for his innovation in sweet corn growing. He transformed the industry in the 1980s with creative methods in seed development, consumer packaging, and the introduction of Sakata Farms Gourmet Sweet Corn. Through a dedicated work ethic and the assistance of his loving wife Joanna, Bob's farm would eventually grow from 40 acres to more than 3000 acres. Bob's agricultural knowledge resulted in two presidential nominations to the Advisory Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation. As his farm and fame grew, Bob remained dedicated to giving back to his community. He served fifteen years on Colorado's Water Quality Control Commission, working collaboratively to find ways to address water shortages impacting Colorado's farmers. Bob's ingenuity and charity led to his induction into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame. Over the years, Bob was a member of the Colorado State University Extension Advisory Board, Colorado's Food Safety Task Force, the Brighton Rotary Club, and the Brighton First Presbyterian Church. Furthermore, Bob spearheaded the campaign to build the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C. Bob Sakata is an example of the American dream. On behalf of the Fourth District of Colorado, it is my honor to recognize his many accomplishments and his legacy of generosity, faith, courage, and perseverance.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of America's heroic veterans and to recognize the Honor Flight Network, which conducts annual trips for veterans to Washington, D.C., to tour the memorials built in celebration of their bravery. On May 15, 2022, High Plains Honor Flight gave many of our courageous veterans this extraordinary opportunity, flying them to our Nation's capitol. I am pleased to congratulate the May 15, 2022, High Plains Honor Flight and to acknowledge the World War II, Korean war, Vietnam war, and Gulf war veterans of Colorado who took part in it. Madam Speaker, those who participated in this flight are as follows: World War II Veterans: Frank Marsaglia and Willis Renter. Korean war veterans: Frederick Ames, Marion Anderson, James Avgares, Harry Bieber, Eugene Bott, Myron House, Bernard Molley, Rudy Romero, Rupert Ross, Stanley Singer, Albert Vigil, Norman Vissering, and Kenneth Yarberry. Veteran of both the Korean & Vietnam wars: James Coats. Vietnam war veterans: James Aschenbrener, Michael Bagley, George Baker, Donald Bauer, Vernon Bauer, Robert Beers, Johnnie Bellington, Gerald Bragg, Kermit Bratten, Charles Breneman, Frank Brooks, Michael Brouwer, Keith Burner, Bruce Chandler, Monserrato Conder, Jr, Jackie Crow, Gary Davis, Barry Dibble, Walter Diehl, Rodney Dimmick, Daniel Dorcey, III, Kenneth Dunnington, Gary Eisenberg, Danny Ely, Kenneth Emmons, William Esch, Richard Essebaggers, Mark Fidrych, Robert Fix, David Foster, Jerry Fox, Walter Fuller, Herbert Gagne, Ernest Gallardo, Chester Gallup, Robert Giguere, Douglas Gould, James Gregg, William Griffin, II, Ned Gurule, Richard Hannan, Dennis Hemphill, Wilfred Heppner, John Hohenstein, Robert Hopper, Carl Howell, William Hudson, Elias Huerta, Cy Johnson, William Kindel, Jr, Edward Kinsall, Rodney Knight, Rodney Koberstein, Richard Krebs, Dennis Laughlin, Gary Lebo, Donald Lebruska, Howard Leino, Charles Littrell, Francisco Lopez, Willard Martin, Clyde Martinez, John Martinez of Aurora, John Martinez of Fort Collins, Paul McMillen, Carl Meloche, Gary Merritt, Charles Miscio, Clair Morrison, Dennis Nagel, Daniel Nehls, Jerald Norris, Roy Orback, Larry Ouret, Edward Phillips, Ralph Phillips, Richard Phillips, Thomas Putney, Francisco Rioz, Terry Ritenour, George Ryan, Richard Sediva, Thomas Shover, Stephen Small, Larry Smith, Jimmie Smith, Jr, William Snyder, David Stalsworth, Jimmy Steggall, Richard Stokes, John Stude, Ronald Stugart, Newell Swanson, Dennis Swartz, Steven Tintes, Kenneth Trevithick, Kenneth Vegter, Kurt Voelkeit, Perry Walker, Robert Ward, William Weber, William Weigle, Robert Weiner, Jerry White, and Robert Wurdemann. Veteran of the Gulf war: James Merryfield. It is my distinct privilege as the United States Representative of the 4th District of Colorado to recognize the honor, courage, and sacrifice of these heroes, along with that of all other members of America's Armed Forces. I thank them for their dedication and service to this nation.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that legal guns save 162,000 lives annually and prevent 2.5 million crimes a year, or 6,849 crimes every day. By their own admission, criminals fear armed citizens more than they fear the police. Up to 90 percent of criminals who commit crimes with a gun do not acquire that firearm legally. We have serious problems in this country involving family, drugs, and mental health. Those issues have been going in the wrong direction for decades. Instead of addressing these issues head-on, the bill will instead jeopardize the right to bear arms for millions of law-abiding citizens. Decades of Supreme Court precedent prevent the government from exercising prior restraint on our First Amendment rights to free speech. We should not treat the Second Amendment differently. The Court just spoke forcefully in favor of this right. This body should do the same. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hard work and dedication of Jeannine Truswell, who announced that she would be retiring after 36 years with the United Way of Weld County. Her fierce commitment and vision have improved the lives of countless members of the Weld County community. Jeannine began her tenure as the President and CEO of the United Way of Weld County in 1986, after seven years as the Executive Director of the Weld County Partners Mentoring Youth program. When she took over the organization, its annual fundraising was a little over $500,000. Through her tireless work and determination, the United Way of Weld County now raises almost $5 million annually. In 2011, Jeannine launched Weld Project Connect, a yearly, one-day initiative hosted through the United Way that has served over 8600 people. This program brings awareness to problems in the local community, coordinates governmental agencies, and seeks to inspire Weld County citizens to help one another. Over the years, Jeannine has guided countless service projects, genuinely connecting and engaging with volunteers as they participated in various events. With Jeannine at the helm of United Way, her focused mission of selfless service has brought positive community-wide solutions through projects and partnerships, including the Weld County Child Abuse Coalition and Founding 211 Colorado. Further, Jeannine has received recognition as A Women's Place Outstanding Women of Weld County and BizWest's Most Influential Business Leader and Woman of Distinction. On behalf of the Fourth District of Colorado, I extend my congratulations to Jeannine for her honorable service to the people of Weld County.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 20th anniversary of The Partnership of Douglas County Governments (PDCG). The PDCG consists of nine local government entities working collaboratively for the greater good of Douglas County's 380,000 residents on impactful issues, projects, and programs. During the last 20 years, through their collective allegiance to a single mission, the group has focused on creating better communities for their constituents. Since its inception, PDCG accomplishments have included: the Housing Partnership and the Youth Initiative; the Douglas County Mental Health Initiative; collaborative emergency management and public safety; transportation improvements; open space, parks, trails, and recreation initiatives; health and human services programs; as well as specific public health efforts, such as their 18-month COVID-19 Community Response. In 2017, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) nominated PDCG for both the Strategic Leadership & Governance Award and the Community Partnership Award. PDCG also works together to strengthen community bonds and protect its citizens. It is a privilege to have such an organization in Colorado's Fourth District. The dedicated members of the Partnership of Douglas County Governments serve our community in countless ways every day. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize their hard work and determination.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Tony Hass, owner of the Walking Y Ranch, on being honored with the Denver Business Journal's 2022 Who's Who in Agriculture Trailblazer Award. After 36 years running a 200 cow-calf operation, Tony received this prestigious honor in recognition of his dedicated career to Colorado's ranching and agricultural community. Tony graduated Lamar Community College with an A.S. in animal science before beginning his more than 5,000 acre ranching operation and local butcher beef business. This true American company is notable for its outstanding economic impact in southeast Colorado. Tony married his wife Connie and raised two wonderful children-- Matthew and Breann--all while continuing to work for the Las Animas community. Today, he is the proud grandfather of Liam. In addition to his many decades operating the Walking Y Ranch, Tony has proudly served the Las Animas community for more than three years as a County Commissioner with the hope of being a strong voice for the people of rural Colorado. Through his work and service before self, Tony has garnered not only a well-earned reputation for ranching, but the respect of everyone in our community. On behalf of Colorado's 4th District, I offer my sincerest congratulations to Tony for his well-deserved award and thank him for his outstanding role in our regions agriculture and tireless commitment to making his community a better place to live.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his time tonight and it is always a pleasure to speak with him. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I just want to echo what he is saying and tell you that right now the dictator who is the most threatening to us, we are going to pull away from his energy and we are going to go with dictators who aren't quite as dangerous to us. That isn't a strategy. That is just looking at the wrong end of a revolver.

Mr. BUCK. In addition to that, it is time that our allies in NATO step up, spend the money they are supposed to spend on their military, on their defense structure, and move forward with us. It is not time for Americans to constantly fight wars in other countries when other countries haven't stepped up and recognized the dangers of a man like Vladimir Putin. I don't know if it is the equivalent of our Secretary of Defense or Army Chief of Staff, or maybe the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the head of the German military mocked his own military, talking about how unprepared they would be in the event of a conflict with Russia. Putin knows that. Putin has intelligence agents. And they have scoured the Western European countries. They know exactly what the strength is of those countries. They know what their willingness is to fight. And Putin has made a decision that he can take Ukraine with very little consequence. That is a serious issue.

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, to go back a little bit in history, when President Putin invaded Crimea, President Obama refused to give legal assistance to Ukraine. It wasn't until President Trump came in that legal assistance was given to Ukraine. And then to President Biden's credit, he ramped up that lethal aid as the threat got greater. And we have seen a great deal of lethal aid going to the Ukraine military. They are using it wisely. They are fighting a courageous war against a much, much greater military power. But I agree with you, Congressman. We could be doing more. We could be sanctioning more, the source of Russia's money, their income, their revenue for waging this war. And we should be doing that. And that is just one of the areas, just one of them. We should be doing more in banking. We should be doing more in trade, in blockades. But one of the ways that we can sanction them is by producing more natural gas, more fossil fuels here at home. We should be shipping liquefied natural gas to our allies in Western Europe to wean them off the reliance on energy from Russia.

Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. BUCK. Yes.

Mr. BUCK. An immoral person does not wage a moral war, does not poison people, does not continue to commit the war crimes and the illegalities--murdering a political opponent just blocks away from the Kremlin. That kind of immoral person doesn't have the standing to talk to the world about what is going on in Ukraine. I know, Congressman, you were a prosecutor. I was a prosecutor. When we had a criminal defendant who lied, that was a special treat, because we got to put witnesses on the stand, and we called it a false exculpatory. And Vladimir Putin has gone through his entire political career using false exculpatories; telling people one thing happened when, in fact, something else happened. And the reason it is so important to point out false exculpatories is, it is a sign of guilt. And in this case, Vladimir Putin knows what he is doing is in violation of international law. He has committed numerous war crimes through his military; indiscriminately bombing civilian targets. And he is a war criminal, and he should be brought to justice. But my question to you now is, Congressman, are we doing everything we can as a country to make sure that we bring this thug--as you put it--this animal who is violating international law, killing children, destroying billions of dollars worth of infrastructure in Ukraine. Are we, as Americans, are we, as the civilized world working with Western Europe, working with NATO, are we doing everything we can to bring this man to justice and to stop the tragedy that is going on in Ukraine?

Mr. BUCK. ``Long before its conventional assault on Georgia, Russia openly backed separatist militants--that sounds familiar--launched cyberattacks and used disinformation to meddle in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Initial intelligence reports of Russian forces entering Georgian territory didn't even cause enough concern to order Georgian military officials back from their holidays. . . . ``But in August 2008, under the auspices of securing the separatist enclave, Russia invaded my country . . . ``Leaving aside the practical impossibility of Georgia attacking a nuclear power 100 times its size, the entirety of the conflict took place on internationally recognized Georgian territory. The Kremlin's claim that its land forces mobilized overnight in response to an emergency was absurd. Such an onslaught required careful preparation, especially given the mountainous terrain of the Russian- Georgian border.'' And I think what is really important to point out here is that President Putin has used the exact same plan, the exact same formula down to the T, claiming that there are Russian-speaking people and he is trying to protect those people in Ukraine, down to the absurd claim that Ukraine is a Nazi government now. All these claims are made up, they are nonsense to try to justify in the minds of the Russian people what Putin is engaged in.

Mr. BUCK. In fact, you can pretty much go to Vegas and bet your money on the opposite of what this man says. If he is able to do something like this, one, he is a coward, and two, he is a monster. During his more than two decades of ruling Russia, Putin has displayed a callous disregard for human life. As part of Putin's war on Chechnya, he ordered the destruction of Chechnya's capital Grozny. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed in this brutal assault. In 2008, Putin waged another war, this time in Georgia, another part of the former Soviet Union. The Georgian President during Putin's assault in 2008 had this to say in The Wall Street Journal, and, Congressman Roy, I want you to really hear this because it is so unbelievable how similar what the Georgian President said in 2008 is to the game plan that Putin has orchestrated in Ukraine.