[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5904-H5907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONDEMNING POISONING OF RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1145) condemning the poisoning of Russian 
opposition leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States 
and international response, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1145

       Whereas Alexei Navalny is a well-known anticorruption 
     activist and leader of the political opposition in Russia;
       Whereas Mr. Navalny garnered 27 percent of the vote in the 
     2013 Moscow mayoral election;
       Whereas since that election, Mr. Navalny and his party have 
     been repeatedly denied the opportunity to compete in 
     elections;
       Whereas Mr. Navalny has been imprisoned multiple times for 
     participating in unsanctioned protests;
       Whereas Mr. Navalny was attacked twice with a chemical 
     substance in 2017 and potentially poisoned in 2019 while in 
     prison;
       Whereas over the years a number of Russian journalists, 
     human rights activists, politicians, whistleblowers, and 
     others have been killed or died under mysterious 
     circumstances, in Russia and overseas, including--
       (1) former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko (in London) and 
     investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006;
       (2) human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, journalist 
     Anastasia Baburova, whistleblower lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, 
     and human rights activist Natalya Estemirova in 2009; and
       (3) opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in 2015;
       Whereas, on August 20, 2020, Mr. Navalny fell ill while on 
     a domestic flight in Russia;
       Whereas, on August 22, 2020, Mr. Navalny was evacuated by 
     airlift from Omsk, Russia, to Berlin, Germany, for his 
     protection and to ensure he would receive a high standard of 
     health care to improve his chances of recovery;
       Whereas German chemical weapons experts conducted tests and 
     found ``unequivocal'' evidence that Mr. Navalny had been 
     poisoned with a Soviet-era military-grade chemical nerve 
     agent from the Novichok group;
       Whereas specialized laboratories in France and Sweden 
     confirmed that Mr. Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent 
     from the Novichok group;
       Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has 
     repeatedly denied that Mr. Navalny was poisoned;
       Whereas the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany 
     has called on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     open an investigation into Mr. Navalny's case;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is a party to the Chemical 
     Weapons Convention (CWC);
       Whereas, in November 2019, after Russian agents used a 
     Novichok-class nerve agent in an attempted assassination of 
     former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom in 
     March 2018, CWC parties agreed to add the Novichok group of 
     nerve agents to ``Schedule 1'', a list of chemicals 
     classified as chemical warfare agents that are subject to 
     declaration requirements and other restrictions;
       Whereas, on September 4, 2020, NATO strongly condemned the 
     attack on Mr. Navalny and called on the Russian Federation to 
     cooperate with the Organization for the Prohibition of 
     Chemical Weapons on an impartial, international 
     investigation;
       Whereas the G7 foreign ministers issued a statement on 
     September 8, 2020, that called on the Government of the 
     Russian Federation ``to urgently and fully establish 
     transparency on who is responsible for this abhorrent 
     poisoning attack and, bearing in mind Russia's commitments 
     under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to bring the 
     perpetrators to justice'';
       Whereas the Russian Federation is a state party to the 
     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
       Whereas Article 6 of the ICCPR states that ``Every human 
     being has the inherent right to life'' and ``No one shall be 
     arbitrarily deprived of his life'';
       Whereas Article 9 of the ICCPR states that ``Everyone has 
     the right to liberty and security of person.'';
       Whereas the Russian Federation is a member of the 
     Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
       Whereas respect for human rights is key to the OSCE's 
     comprehensive approach to security and therefore the OSCE 
     monitors the human rights situation in its 57 participating 
     states;
       Whereas pressure on Germany to reconsider its support for 
     the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from the United States and 
     international community, including many European Union 
     countries, as well as from leading politicians within 
     Germany, has grown since the attack on Mr. Navalny;
       Whereas Congress passed the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law 
     Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of Public Law 112-208) 
     and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 
     (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) in 2016 to 
     provide the United States Government with authorities to 
     respond to grave violations of human rights and corruption in 
     Russia; and
       Whereas in response to the Novichok-class nerve agent 
     attack described in this preamble against United Kingdom 
     national and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his 
     daughter Yulia in 2018, the United States Government imposed 
     two rounds of sanctions on Russia pursuant to the Chemical 
     and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 
     1991 (Public Law 102-182; 22 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.): Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the apparently purposeful poisoning on August 
     20, 2020, of Russian anticorruption activist and opposition 
     leader Alexei Navalny;
       (2) expresses its appreciation for the prompt and generous 
     efforts of the Cinema for Peace Foundation and the Government 
     of the Federal Republic of Germany to ensure high-quality 
     health care for Mr. Navalny after he was poisoned by 
     facilitating his transfer by airlift from Russia to Germany;
       (3) welcomes reports that Mr. Navalny has emerged from a 
     medically induced coma and is gradually recovering from the 
     poisoning;
       (4) hopes for Mr. Navalny's full and complete recovery so 
     that he may promptly resume his life and work;
       (5) urges the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
     Europe and multilateral human rights monitoring bodies to 
     monitor the case of the August 2020 poisoning of Alexei 
     Navalny as a probable violation of his fundamental human 
     rights and to respond accordingly;
       (6) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     cooperate with independent, impartial, and thorough 
     investigations by competent authorities and the Organization 
     for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of the reported 
     poisoning of Alexei Navalny;
       (7) calls on the United States Government to support 
     international or multilateral efforts to ensure an 
     independent, impartial, and thorough investigations by 
     competent authorities and the Organization for the 
     Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of the reported poisoning of 
     Alexei Navalny;
       (8) urges the United States Government, in all its 
     interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation, 
     to raise the case of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and 
     underscore the necessity of bringing the organizers and 
     perpetrators to justice;
       (9) calls on the Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
     the Treasury to use their authority under the Sergei 
     Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (title IV of 
     Public Law 112-208) and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
     Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 
     114-328) to designate individuals whom they determine upon 
     investigation to have been involved in the poisoning of 
     Alexei Navalny as perpetrators, organizers, or masterminds, 
     on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked 
     persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of 
     the Department of the Treasury, freezing their assets and 
     making them ineligible to receive United States visas; and
       (10) supports the 60-day review period triggered by the 
     submission of a letter to the President by the Chair and 
     Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House 
     of Representatives to investigate whether the poisoning of 
     Alexei Navalny constitutes use of a chemical weapon by the 
     Government of the Russian Federation in contravention of 
     international law, and if so, to impose sanctions pursuant to 
     the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare 
     Elimination Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-182; 22 U.S.C. 5601 
     et seq.).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each 
will control 20 minutes.

[[Page H5905]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include in the Record extraneous material on H. Res. 1145.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I want 
to thank Mr. McGovern for his leadership and hard work.
  In recent years, a number of Russian journalists, human rights 
activists, politicians, whistleblowers, and others have been killed or 
died under very mysterious circumstances in Russia and overseas. The 
poisoning of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, 
is yet another horrific example of the ruthlessness under President 
Putin's government.
  I am proud to support this bipartisan resolution which condemns the 
brutal poisoning of Mr. Navalny on August 20, 2020, calls for U.S. 
support for a credible and impartial international investigation into 
the attack, and urges sanctions against those responsible. It is 
important that the House go on record in a bipartisan way to send a 
clear and unequivocal message to the Kremlin that we reject their 
criminal tactics and we will demand accountability. There must be 
consequences for this egregious act.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
                                         House of Representatives,


                              Committee on Financial Services,

                                Washington, DC, November 13, 2020.
     Hon. Eliot Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H. Res. 1145, 
     the ``Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader 
     Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and 
     international response.'' In order to permit H. Res. 1145 to 
     proceed expeditiously to the House Floor, I agree to forgo 
     formal consideration of the bill.
       The Committee on Financial Services takes this action to 
     forego formal consideration of H. Res. 1145 in light of the 
     mutually agreed changes to provisions within the jurisdiction 
     of the Committee on Financial Services. We are also doing so 
     based on our mutual understanding that, by foregoing formal 
     consideration of H. Res. 1145 at this time, we do not waive 
     any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or 
     similar legislation, and that our Committee will be 
     appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar 
     legislation moves forward with regard to any matters in the 
     Committee's jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the 
     right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of 
     conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or 
     similar legislation that involves the Committee's 
     jurisdiction and request your support for any such request.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding, and I would ask that a copy of 
     our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the 
     Congressional Record during Floor consideration of H. Res. 
     1145.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Maxine Waters,
     Chairwoman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Maxine Waters,
     Committee on Financial Services,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairwoman Waters: I am writing to you concerning H. 
     Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition 
     leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States 
     and international response. I appreciate your willingness to 
     work cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Financial Services under 
     House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. 
     Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further 
     acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect 
     to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim 
     over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your 
     jurisdiction. I also acknowledge that your Committee will be 
     appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar 
     legislation moves forward, and will support the appointment 
     of Committee on Financial Services conferees during any 
     House-Senate conference convened on this legislation.
       Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is 
     included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your 
     cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to 
     continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
                                                         Chairman.
                                         House of Representatives,


                            Committee on Oversight and Reform,

                                Washington, DC, November 13, 2020.
     Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Engel: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 
     1145, condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader 
     Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and 
     international response. There are certain provisions in the 
     legislation which fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Oversight and Reform.
       In the interest of permitting your Committee to proceed 
     expeditiously on this bill, I am willing to waive this 
     Committee's right to sequential referral. I do so with the 
     understanding that by waiving consideration of the bill, the 
     Committee on Oversight and Reform does not waive any future 
     jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in 
     the bill which fall within its Rule X jurisdiction. I request 
     that you urge the Speaker to name Members of this Committee 
     to any conference committee which is named to consider such 
     provisions.
       Please place this letter into the Congressional Record 
     during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank 
     you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked 
     regarding this matter and others between our respective 
     Committees.
           Sincerely,
                                               Carolyn B. Maloney,
     Chairwoman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney,
     Committee on Oversight and Reform,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairwoman Maloney: I am writing to you concerning H. 
     Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition 
     leader Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States 
     and international response. I appreciate your willingness to 
     work cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform 
     under House Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action 
     on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further 
     acknowledge that the inaction of your Committee with respect 
     to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim 
     over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your 
     jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of House 
     Committee on Oversight and Reform conferees during any House-
     Senate conference convened on this legislation.
       Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is 
     included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your 
     cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to 
     continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
           Infrastructure,
                                Washington, DC, November 10, 2020.
     Hon. Eliot Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Engel: I write concerning H. Res. 1145, Condemning 
     the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and 
     calling for a robust United States and international 
     response. There are certain provisions in this legislation 
     that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure.
       In order to expedite floor consideration of H. Res. 1145, 
     the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to 
     forgo action on the bill. However, this is conditional on our 
     mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill 
     would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the 
     appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional 
     claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or 
     similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X 
     jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to 
     name members of this Committee to any conference committee 
     which is named to consider such provisions.
       Please place a copy of this letter and your response 
     acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the committee 
     report on H. Res. 1145 and into the Congressional Record 
     during consideration of the measure on the House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Peter A. DeFazio,
     Chair.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Peter DeFazio,
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman DeFazio: I am writing to you concerning H. 
     Res. 1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition 
     leader

[[Page H5906]]

     Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and 
     international response. I appreciate your willingness to work 
     cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the House Committee on Transportation & 
     Infrastructure under House Rule X, and that your Committee 
     will forgo action on H. Res. 1145 to expedite floor 
     consideration. I further acknowledge that the inaction of 
     your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any 
     future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the 
     bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I will also support 
     the appointment of House Committee on Transportation & 
     Infrastructure conferees during any House-Senate conference 
     convened on this legislation.
       Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is 
     included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your 
     cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to 
     continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                  Committee on Ways and Means,

                                Washington, DC, November 17, 2020.
     Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Engel: In recognition of the desire to 
     expedite consideration of H. Res. 1145, Condemning the 
     poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and 
     calling for a robust United States and international 
     response, the Committee on Ways and Means agrees to waive 
     formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall 
     within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and 
     Means.
       The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the 
     mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction 
     over the subject matter contained in this or similar 
     legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately 
     consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation 
     moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues 
     within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the 
     right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of 
     conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or 
     similar legislation.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding and would ask that a copy of 
     our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of H. Res. 
     1145.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Richard E. Neal,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC, November 11, 2020.
     Hon. Richard E. Neal,
     Committee on Ways and Means,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Neal: I am writing to you concerning H. Res. 
     1145, Condemning the poisoning of Russian opposition leader 
     Alexei Navalny and calling for a robust United States and 
     international response, including security and economic 
     components of the relationship. I appreciate your willingness 
     to work cooperatively on this legislation.
       I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means under House 
     Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H. Res. 
     1145 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge 
     that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill 
     does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the 
     matters contained in the bill that fall within your 
     jurisdiction. I will also support the appointment of 
     Committee on Ways and Means conferees during any House-Senate 
     conference convened on this legislation.
       Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is 
     included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your 
     cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to 
     continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the 
     legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Eliot L. Engel,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to begin by thanking my good 
friend, Chairman McGovern, for sponsoring this important resolution. I 
am very proud to be one of its cosponsors.
  Both Mr. McGovern and I co-chair the Lantos Human Rights Commission, 
and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have been trying for years to hold 
Russia to account for these kinds of despicable displays where, as was 
pointed out by my good friend from New York, very visible opposition 
leaders and others have been targeted by the Russian regime for 
poisoning and other kinds of deadly deeds. So I want to thank him for, 
again, bringing our attention and the House's attention to this 
additional terrible misdeed by Vladimir Putin.
  Each of us in this House, I believe, were appalled to learn that Mr. 
Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-era chemical nerve agent. Of 
course, we are relieved that he seems to be doing well, but that 
doesn't in any way mitigate the terrible act that was committed to try 
to kill him. We are not surprised though. Just 2 years ago, the same 
chemical nerve agent was used in an attack on United Kingdom soil 
against former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal. The attack 
severely injured him, his daughter, and a police officer, and also cost 
the life of an innocent British citizen.
  Moreover, since Putin came to power, as was pointed out a moment ago, 
numerous Russian journalists, human rights activists, opposition 
leaders, whistleblowers, and others who opposed his regime have been 
murdered or died in mysterious circumstances.
  As noted in the resolution, Ranking Member McCaul and Chairman Engel 
wrote a letter to the President after the attack to request an 
investigation into whether Russia had, once again, used a lethal 
chemical weapon in violation of international law.
  Pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare 
Elimination Act, this request started the clock on a 60-day evaluation 
period to make such a determination. Unfortunately, the deadline has 
passed, so we respectfully--all of us--ask the administration to 
release the findings of its investigation and to do so without any 
delay.
  If it is determined, as we suspect, that the Putin regime is behind 
the attack, then additional U.S. sanctions must be imposed. His regime 
must be held accountable for resorting to such cruel and barbaric 
methods to silence his critics.
  I was glad to see the E.U. support a Franco-German plan to impose 
sanctions on Russians suspected to be behind Mr. Navalny's poisoning. I 
also continue to hope that our German friends will heed the growing 
calls around Europe and within Germany since the attack to reconsider 
their support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution. Again, I 
want to thank Chairman McGovern for authoring it, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), who is the author of this important 
resolution and the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New 
York for his leadership and for yielding to me. I also want to thank my 
colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for all of his commitment, not 
only on issues of human rights regarding Russia, but human rights in 
general.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1145, condemning the 
poisoning of Russian anti-corruption and opposition leader Alexei 
Navalny.
  Since Vladimir Putin took power in 1999, human rights defenders, 
journalists, and opposition politicians have suffered relentless 
persecution. Some have been killed, like Anna Politkovskaya, in 2006, 
and Boris Nemtsov in 2015. Others, like Alexei Navalny, have been 
targeted but survived. Navalny was attacked twice with a chemical 
substance in 2017, likely poisoned in 2019 while in prison, and 
seriously poisoned in August 2020.
  I am thankful that Navalny is recovering from the latest attack, but 
I regret that the Trump administration's response has been so feeble. 
Secretary Pompeo issued one statement, days late, and after German 
experts confirmed the poisoning, in which he merely called for an 
investigation.
  Today, with this resolution, Congress is stepping forward to make 
clear that the United States is appalled by the attack on Alexei 
Navalny and supports a robust response.
  This resolution:
  Condemns the poisoning;
  Thanks Germany for facilitating Navalny's transfer to ensure high 
quality medical care;
  Welcomes his recovery;
  Calls on the OSCE and human rights bodies to treat his case as a 
human rights violation;
  Calls on the U.S. Government to raise Navalny's poisoning with 
Russian authorities and to support independent, impartial, and thorough 
investigations by competent authorities;

[[Page H5907]]

  Calls for the imposition of Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible 
for the attack;
  And supports a review of whether the poisoning constitutes use of a 
chemical weapon, with sanctions to follow as appropriate.
  This resolution does not punish Germany by calling for the suspension 
of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Germany is an ally. It is the Russian 
Government that is at fault here.
  So I want to thank all the cosponsors in the Foreign Affairs 
Committee for supporting this initiative.
  I hope and I pray that the incoming Biden administration will make 
human rights the centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy going forward. 
Brave individuals like Alexei Navalny deserve far more than a passing 
reference from our government's leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank Congressman McGovern for his hard work 
on this resolution. I strongly support this measure and urge all the 
Members to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1145, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________