[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on Russia, a week ago today, President 
Trump met with President Putin in Helsinki, and with the world 
watching, failed to show an ounce of strength in defense of American 
interests.
  What followed was an embarrassing week of insincere walk backs and 
mixed messages, culminating on Friday in a bizarre invitation for 
President Putin to visit the White House this fall--something the 
President's own Director of National Intelligence, Mr. Coats, was not 
made aware of. It is not hyperbolic to say that last week may have been 
one of the worst weeks in American foreign policy in recent memory.
  In the face of these stunning events, what have my Republican 
colleagues done to rein in the President? I am sad to report, virtually 
nothing. In the full week since the Helsinki summit, Republicans failed 
to take meaningful action to hold the President accountable for his 
foreign policy blunders in Finland. Republicans have offered words of 
rebuke, statements, disappointed tweets, but they have not backed up 
any of those words with the force of action.
  I have seen my colleagues shrug their shoulders as if there weren't 
anything the U.S. Senate could do to check this President, even though 
they feel in their hearts, I know, that he needs checking. I mentioned 
several ways the Senate could grapple with and push back a bit on what 
President Trump has done: bring in his national security team and 
translator to testify before Congress, particularly so we can tell what 
happened in that 2 hours when Putin and Trump were alone; pass 
legislation to protect the special counsel and legislation to harden 
our election infrastructure because we risk Russia's interference 
again; implement sanctions against Russia; demand that Russia hand over 
the 12 Russians indicted for election interference and more.
  If my Republican friends were serious about doing something to 
redirect our posture toward Russia, we should have seen some movement 
by now on one or more of these things, but we are stuck in the mud. 
Even though there is bipartisan condemnation for the President's 
behavior last week, the Senate has remained virtually silent on the 
matter because Republicans here are unwilling, maybe afraid, to 
confront the President, even though they know what he did was so wrong.
  At the end of last week, the Republican majority blocked a bipartisan 
resolution--a modest one from Senators Flake and Coons, one a 
Republican, one a Democrat--that sought to hold Russia accountable. It 
didn't have many teeth, but still the Republicans objected.
  Are my Republican friends ever willing to push back against this 
President, not just in words but in deeds, or are they too afraid of 
the political consequences? Are they willing to put country over party 
at this crucial time? It seems not, at least so far.
  I know many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle were 
deeply disturbed by the President's inexplicable behavior in Helsinki. 
I say to them, America needs you now. We need you to stand up, step up 
to the plate, and do something about it.
  Frankly, if we don't do something real, President Trump--I know him--
will conclude he doesn't need to change his behavior, and, as a result, 
Republicans will be complicit in enabling the President to continue 
down the disastrous course he has set.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________