Richard Neal

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), the chairman of the Trade Subcommittee who has been a real leader on this issue.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle), a champion of human rights everywhere.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7108) to suspend normal trade relations treatment for the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, and for other purposes.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), who has been a real leader on this issue as well.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), who has had a longstanding interest in human rights.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), whose entire career has been consistently based on the advancement of human rights everywhere.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), who has had a long history as a champion of human rights.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee ) who has been a consistent champion of human rights.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) whose work on human rights is well known.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our distinguished majority leader who, again, has been a consistent champion of human rights.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as I close, I thank Mr. Brady for his partnership in this effort to hold Putin accountable and for his support for the Ukrainian people. I also was moved by the gentlewoman from Indiana's testimony just a few minutes ago about Ukraine when she said this is not normal behavior. This is not the regularization, we hope, of normal behavior, a return to the old Soviet empire. Madam Speaker, I applaud the terrific work of the Committee on Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee staff, particularly Alexandra Whittaker, Katie White, and Sofia Ferber. Their expertise and dedication made this legislation possible, and I thank them for their contributions. Madam Speaker, I think in the many years that I have been in this House, one of the most moving moments occurred yesterday when we heard the President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy--duly elected, incidentally--talk about the pain and anguish but also the courage of the Ukrainian people. To witness the bombardment and the murder and killing of innocent children by this Russian dictator, I hope all the world, like this Congress today, will abhor that. Madam Speaker, it is not enough just to applaud and to talk about the challenges that Russia has presented to the civilized world. We have to do something about it. Coming on the heels of the oil embargo, I believe this will also receive broad bipartisan support today, and it will swiftly move from Congress to President Biden's desk. There is no time to waste. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7108, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from Pennsylvania, both friends of ours, for their words. On this very important day, St. Patrick's Day, we are acknowledging a very important anniversary. Anybody who knows much about Irish history knows that anniversaries are very important. The acknowledgment of certain events that occurred throughout the sometimes perilous history of this small country of 6 million people, north and south, are reminded of just how grim Bloody Sunday was. I knew those families. I recall when the former Prime Minister of the U.K., David Cameron, acknowledged years after in a public statement, in a speech that he made on the floor of the House of Commons, the then- Prime Minister acknowledged that Bloody Sunday had victimized innocent bystanders. For a long time, the argument had been made that these were paramilitaries on both sides. It was only the test of history that fully acknowledged the truth of what happened on that day. Their civil rights movement in the north was modeled, in some measure, upon the civil rights movement here in America. I knew John Hume very well. He was a great man at a great moment. I have known Gerry Adams and others who participated in these very difficult events. But out of this tumultuous time came something else, and that was the Good Friday Agreement. We are now coming upon the 25th anniversary of that agreement. America is a guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. Successive Presidents of the United States, Democrat and Republican, have all embraced the Good Friday Agreement as the way forward, the path, understanding as well that the success of the Good Friday Agreement came about because everybody had to give up something. The Republic of Ireland gave up Articles 2 and 3 of its Constitution, which laid claim to the six counties of the north, and the United Kingdom gave up the border, which was a huge issue. Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement reinforced the idea of a growing relationship between Dublin and Belfast. Let me lay this out in perspective, in the time I have remaining. Thirty years ago, in the north of Ireland, there were 30,000 British soldiers in an area geographically the size of the State of Connecticut. You couldn't go anyplace. It was a militarized zone. The Friends of Ireland, which is 40 years old--always Democrat and Republican, we made sure of it--the success of the Good Friday Agreement came about because of the goodwill of the men and women who live on that island. We should be celebrating the outcome of the Good Friday Agreement. But part of it is also acknowledging these perilous moments in Irish history. I suspect that we will be discussing for years to come Americans' dimension to bringing about the Good Friday Agreement. Just think of it: Two generations of children have now grown up in this small, six-county area not knowing anything about the violence. It was the reach and the role of the United States, an honest broker, that helped bring about that agreement, which, even with bumps, people have fully acknowledged it has worked. So the template is there. As we celebrate the ancient culture of St. Patrick's Day, there is something else for people of subjugation, occupation, An Gorta Mor, as the Great Famine is known, or civil wars, risings, and revolutions, that indomitable spirit on that tiny island, which we just celebrated, Republican and Democrat, with the President of the United States, last evening with the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister of Ireland, talking about the lasting bond between the two countries. I hope that people will use the example of what the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from Pennsylvania have done today, because they have acknowledged this very important moment. What happened on Bloody Sunday, the world had a chance to witness, and it helped shape world opinion. Thank you both for doing this today. There is not a better way to honor St. Patrick than what you two have laid out today.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I just want to reassure the gentleman that I remain committed to the position he has offered as it relates to the World Trade Organization and a suspension of Russia's partnership in WTO. Making sure that we do that in the right procedure I think is the challenge before us, but I agree with the point that the gentleman has made. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 973, I call up the bill (H.R. 6968) to prohibit the importation of energy products of the Russian Federation, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration before us.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I stand here today in a moment of great sorrow as the Ukrainian people continue to endure the brutal and unprovoked assault by Russia upon their independence. We have all witnessed the heartbreaking footage of this war's innocent victims. We heard the harrowing stories of families who have been torn apart and forced to leave their country. We have watched with admiration as the Ukrainian people have courageously defended their homeland. Madam Speaker, tonight, we are all Ukrainians. This unprovoked, unjustified invasion is a horrific stain on humanity. This evening, we here in this Congress will firmly condemn Putin's aggression with the legislation that is before us. Inaction is not an option. I am very pleased, once again, that the Committee on Ways and Means, in a bipartisan manner, has led the development of this package that will take decisive action to exact economic pain on Putin and his regime. The Russian regime relies on energy sales to fund many of its offenses. This bill will cut off some of the revenue with a ban on the import of Russian oil and energy products into the United States. The more economic pain we inflict on Putin, the more pressure he will feel to finally end this brutal campaign of terror on the Ukrainian people. I don't think tonight the people of Ukraine think that Vladimir Putin is a genius. Madam Speaker, this legislation also takes steps to review Russia's participation in the World Trade Organization. This is an international organization comprised of 150 nations. Membership is a privilege that comes with responsibilities, and bad actors who destabilize global security should not enjoy the economic benefits of belonging to that body. Madam Speaker, I am committed to providing and punishing Russia at the WTO as we proceed. Broad bipartisan support exists in this Congress for these meaningful actions to hold Putin accountable and full support for the Ukrainian people. With this legislation, we reaffirm our commitment to peace and to democracy. Madam Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support this consequential moment and act accordingly, and I look forward to its swift passage into law. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who represents 50,000 Ukrainian Americans.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This evening's debate is about holding Putin accountable for his unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people. What we are talking about here is responsible use of trade policy as a powerful tool not only to condemn Putin's aggression and pursue peace but to act. I hope in this moment, when we are in such a dire state, we would not use the opportunity just for partisan argument but try to focus very hard on the real task at hand, which is holding Putin accountable. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.