[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6643-S6648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Daniel 
J. Kritenbrink, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign 
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
State (East Asian and Pacific Affairs).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.


                             Nord Stream 2

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I want to talk today about Russia. I want to 
talk about Vladimir Putin. I want to describe to this Chamber a 
bipartisan victory that together we won, and then I want to describe, 
tragically, how President Joe Biden is giving that victory away to 
Putin and Russia.
  To understand this issue, we need to go back to the summer of 2019. 
In the summer of 2019, Russia was in the process of constructing a 
pipeline called the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline.
  Behind me is a map demonstrating where the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline 
runs. It is a pipeline that was to run from Russia to Germany, going 
underneath the Baltic Sea.
  In the summer of 2019, the pipeline was nearly complete. At various 
periods in time, it was 70 percent complete, 80 percent complete. There 
was widespread consensus that if this pipeline were completed, it would 
have devastating consequences. In a few minutes, I will discuss those 
consequences in greater detail. But in an effort to stop the 
devastating consequences, I worked on bipartisan legislation, along 
with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat from New Hampshire, and we 
introduced bipartisan sanctions legislation designed to stop the Nord 
Stream 2 Pipeline.
  That legislation, when we introduced it, was almost immediately 
subject to a Russian disinformation campaign. In Europe, the Russians 
were saying to anyone who would listen that the Cruz-Shaheen sanction 
legislation could never pass; that there was no way Congress would come 
together in a bipartisan manner to stop the Nord Stream 2; that it was 
hopeless; that no one needed to be concerned that this legislation 
could pass. They also made the argument as part of their disinformation 
campaign that the pipeline was nearly complete so that U.S. sanctions 
could not stop it. There was nothing that could be done to stop it.
  Well, to the surprise of nobody who follows these issues, that 
Russian disinformation was precisely that--it was disinformation. It 
was lies.
  In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Shaheen and I 
worked with our colleagues, and our legislation was initially voted out 
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by an overwhelming bipartisan 
vote of 20 to 2--overwhelming bipartisan support.
  At that point, Senator Shaheen and I began working to get it passed 
on the floor of the Senate. While we were doing so, the Russian 
disinformation continued: This cannot pass.
  We endeavored to have our sanctions legislation attached to the 
National Defense Authorization Act, which was moving in the fall and 
winter of 2019. To do so was not easy. To do so, we needed to get the 
explicit signoff of the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee. We needed the explicit signoff of the 
chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 
We needed the explicit signoff of the chairman and the ranking member 
of the Senate Banking Committee. Then we needed the explicit signoff of 
Senator McConnell and Senator Schumer, the Republican and Democratic 
leader respectively. All eight of those Senators needed to agree with 
     our legislation for this to proceed on the NDAA.
  And then we had to do the exact same thing in the House of 
Representatives and get the chairman and ranking member on Foreign 
Relations, on Armed Services and on Banking, and we had to get the 
signoff of Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy.
  To get the explicit support of all 16 of those congressional 
leaders--8 Republicans and 8 Democrats--in any world is not easy.
  And I will say on my part and Senator Shaheen's part, we invested 
dozens, if not hundreds, of hours in terms of talking to our colleagues 
to build that bipartisan consensus, and we ended up getting that 
overwhelming support. In many ways, that support was miraculous.
  Why is that?
  Well, one of the reasons why Nord Stream 2 is particularly 
problematic is that Russia is building Nord Stream 2 in order to cut 
off Ukraine. There is currently a pipeline running through Ukraine and, 
through Nord Stream 2, Russia has the power to starve Ukraine.
  Why is it miraculous in December of 2019 that we were able to pass 
this legislation?
  Well, if you will recall what was happening in the House of 
Representatives in December of 2019, the House of Representatives was 
in the middle of impeaching President Donald Trump for alleged high 
crimes and misdemeanors concerning Ukraine.
  If you will recall, from the trial we held on this Senate floor, 
central to the allegations that were raised by Democrats against 
President Trump was conduct concerning Ukraine.
  It remains astonishing that right in the middle of a partisan 
gladiatorial battle concerning Ukraine, simultaneously we were able to 
get Republicans and Democrats to work hand-in-hand to agree with 
complete consensus that we were going to come together and stop the 
Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. We were going to stop what Vladimir Putin was 
doing.
  In December of 2019, our legislation passed. The Cruz-Shaheen 
sanctions legislation passed. Now, I will remind you what the Russian 
disinformation did when we first introduced it. They said it will never 
pass; and they said, even if it does pass, it is too late for it to 
have any effect.
  Well, if my memory serves me correctly, President Trump signed the 
Cruz-Shaheen sanctions legislation at 7 p.m. on a Thursday. At 6:45 
p.m. on a Thursday, 15 minutes before our sanctions legislation was 
signed into law, the company that was laying the pipeline in the Baltic 
Sea announced it had immediately halted laying the pipeline

[[Page S6644]]

and it was lifting anchor and sailing away. It was an incredible 
bipartisan victory. The pipeline was stopped in its tracks.
  What happened next was absolutely nothing. For a year, the pipeline 
lay dormant. The talking points from Vladimir Putin--and now, sadly, 
adopted by Joe Biden and his administration--is the pipeline is 90 
percent complete or the pipeline is 95 percent complete. But it is not 
rocket science that a 90-percent complete pipeline is zero-percent 
complete. Until you build both ends of the pipeline, it ain't nothing 
but a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean. Nothing is traveling 
through it until the pipeline is complete and online.
  For a year, the pipeline lay dormant. Then in the year 2020, Senator 
Shaheen and I joined together again in a second round of bipartisan 
legislation, a second round of sanctions. We had stopped the Nord 
Stream 2 Pipeline in its tracks. For a year, Putin was stopped 
altogether.
  And we came together for a second piece of legislation--the second 
version of Cruz-Shaheen--and just like the first sanctions, we passed 
it through both Houses of Congress and it was signed into law with 
overwhelming bipartisan support--nearly unanimous support of all 535 
Members of Congress.
  So we now had two major pieces of sanctions legislation on the books. 
Those sanctions had been working for a year and the pipeline was 
stopped.
  Then in November of 2020 was the Presidential election. And in the 
wake of the Presidential election, Joe Biden and his transition team 
almost immediately began telegraphing weakness to Russia. Members of 
Joe Biden's foreign policy advisory team in the German newspapers 
expressed openness to Nord Stream 2 being built, expressed a 
willingness to try to circumvent the sanctions that had been working 
and had worked for over a year. Within days of Joe Biden and his team 
expressing weakness to Putin, Russia and Putin heard and they began the 
process of getting ready to return to building the pipeline.
  (Thereupon, Ms. STABENOW assumed the Chair.)
  Russia did return to building the pipeline. Do you know what day? 
January 24, 2021. Four days after Joe Biden was sworn into office, 
Putin said: We are safe. We are free. Our man Joe is in the White 
House.

  And we know that the administration is not going to follow U.S. law 
anymore. And so on January 24, the Russians returned to building the 
pipeline.
  Now, for 2 years, this body had been united, Republicans and 
Democrats, that we were going to stop this pipeline; but Joe Biden and 
his administration decided instead to waive the sanctions, decided 
instead to give Vladimir Putin what amounts to a multibillion-dollar 
gift--and not just a gift one time. If this pipeline is allowed to go 
online, it will put billions of dollars in Putin's pockets every year, 
year after year after year.
  What are the consequences of Nord Stream 2?
  No. 1, Russia gets richer; Russia gets stronger; Russia gets billions 
of dollars that it can use to build its military, to threaten its 
neighbors, to threaten our allies, to endanger the lives of Americans 
and our friends.
  No. 2, Europe is hurt. Our friends and allies in Europe are made even 
more dependent on Russian energy.
  Our former colleague in this body, Senator John McCain--may he rest 
in peace--had a phrase for Russia that was memorable, that I have used 
many times. He referred to Russia as ``a gas station with a country 
attached.''
  That is Putin's plan. It is very simple. Putin is a petrol tyrant. He 
is a tyrant, he is a bully, he is a KGB thug, and all his aggression is 
funded by selling oil and gas.
  Together, Republicans and Democrats in Congress had taken billions 
out of Putin's pockets; and, sadly, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris decided 
the world would be a better place if instead Putin had billions more 
not just this year or next year, but for decades to come.
  When Putin is dead and buried and the next dictator is ruling over 
Russia, that next dictator will be reaping the benefits of this 
pipeline. Indeed, as a result of Joe Biden's decision, many are 
referring to this pipeline as the Biden-Putin pipeline for a very 
simple reason: It is Putin who is building it; it is Putin who is 
profiting by it.
  And the only reason Putin is allowed to do so is because President 
Joe Biden has given a multibillion-dollar gift that strengthens Russia 
and it weakens Europe.
  It makes Europe subject to energy blackmail. Putin has demonstrated a 
willingness and, indeed, a history of using energy blackmail, of using 
those who are dependent on natural gas to coerce them to do what he 
wants. In the dead of winter, when people are at risk of freezing to 
death, Putin has threatened to--and has, in fact--cut off gas to 
endanger the lives of innocent civilians in order to coerce governments 
to bend to his will.
  As a result of Joe Biden's surrender to Vladimir Putin, Putin will 
have the continued ability to exercise economic blackmail against 
Europe.
  But not only that. Europe has energy needs. Those energy needs could 
be readily satisfied by American energy. Europe has expressed a 
willingness and, in some instances, an eagerness to import American 
energy.
  But Joe Biden has decided that American jobs are unimportant. On his 
first day in office, Biden shut down the Keystone Pipeline, killing 
11,000 jobs in the United States, including 8,000 union jobs--8,000 
high-paying union jobs that, with a stroke of a pen, Joe Biden 
eliminated.
  And at the exact same time that Biden is shutting down jobs and a 
pipeline in America, he is green lighting and giving Putin a gift of a 
pipeline between Russia and Germany, producing jobs in Russia, 
producing billions of dollars in Russia, and taking away jobs in 
America.
  This pipeline is a disaster. As the afternoon goes on, I will 
elaborate on different aspects on which it is harmful and on the steps 
we can and should be taking to stop it.
  But at this point, Senator Barrasso is here and has some thoughts he 
wishes to express, and so I will yield the floor to Senator Barrasso 
for his remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I come to add my voice to that of Mr. 
Cruz, the Senator from Texas, about Joe Biden's surrender to Vladimir 
Putin.
  Energy is called the master resource for a reason. It powers our 
country, powers our military, powers this Nation, powers the economy. 
And yet Joe Biden, on his first day in office, seemed to take us from a 
nation of energy dominance to energy dependence, canceling the Keystone 
Pipeline and now approving this pipeline, Nord Stream 2.
  I come to add my voice to all of those, and there are many who have 
spoken out against the President in expressing our deep concerns about 
this administration's unwillingness to fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 
Pipeline and to allow it to move ahead.
  I am sure Senator Cruz, as part of his discussion this afternoon, 
will talk about the confirmation hearing of Tony Blinken to be 
Secretary of State. We asked him specifically about the pipeline, and 
he said he would stop it, no matter what. Even though it was down to 
the last--I think he may have said--100 yards, they would stop it.
  That is not what happened. We saw Joe Biden surrender.
  For years, we have been sounding the alarm about this Russian trap.
  This pipeline, who built it?
  Gazprom.
  Who are they?
  They are the Russian state-owned natural gas monopoly.
  We have all quoted and, in the past, have heard Senator McCain talk 
about Russia, a country acting as a gas station or a gas station acting 
as a country. I think one time he went on to say that Russia was a 
Mafia-run gas company disguised as a country.
  This dangerous pipeline is going to double the amount of Russian 
natural gas going to Germany via the Baltic Sea. Completion of the Nord 
Stream 2 Pipeline is going to further tighten its grip on European gas 
supplies and extend the threatening influence because, as I said 
before, energy is the master resource.
  We know Russia uses energy to coerce and to manipulate. They use it 
as a geopolitical weapon. They coerce and manipulate our allies and our 
partners

[[Page S6645]]

in Europe. Many of our NATO allies--Germany, in particular--are 
becoming dependent upon and addicted to Russian gas. Europe already 
gets 40 to 45 percent of its gas imports from Russia. The new export 
pipeline helps Russia undermine Europe's efforts to diversify energy 
sources, suppliers, as well as the routes.
  Nord Stream 2 makes Europe more energy dependent on Russia and, of 
course, more prone to Russian influence. At the same time, it is going 
to further fuel Russian aggression, Russian intimidation, and Russian 
instability across Europe.
  Putin is a powerful foe who aims to divide Europe and to destroy the 
NATO alliance. He has been broadcasting those plans. This is not a 
surprise. The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline would mean a massive money 
transfer from our NATO allies straight into the Kremlin's coffers. This 
means more resources to put toward Russia's destabilizing activities.
  And we continue to see an increase in these destabilizing activities. 
Russia occupies territory in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. Russia 
launched a military buildup on Ukraine's border. Russia poisoned and 
then imprisoned a political opposition leader. Russian hackers are 
creating economic chaos by disrupting American supply chains.
  Russia could use these cash reserves in what way? Well, a way to fund 
aggression in Europe and around the world. And it is interesting that 
Putin even funds environmental activists in Europe to shut down energy 
where they would be exploring for natural gas and oil. He wants 
environmental activists to protest any efforts for the European 
countries to develop their own gas resources so he can hold them 
hostage in this way as well.
  Well, President Biden's weakness on Putin's pipeline is going to have 
serious consequences, not just the financial ones for Russia and not 
just those in Europe but worldwide. And for our security and for the 
security of our allies, I believe we must stop this Nord Stream 2 
Pipeline.
  That is why Congress has overwhelmingly, this body, passed several 
pieces of bipartisan legislation. You know, people say to me: Can't you 
do anything in a bipartisan way in Congress anymore?
  I would say: Well, we certainly did when it came to the Nord Stream 2 
Pipeline. We passed bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions on this 
very project.
  Yet, this administration, the Biden administration--the surrendering 
Biden administration--is unwilling to implement the laws that are on 
the books. President Biden waived congressionally mandated sanctions on 
Nord Stream 2 AG, which is the company overseeing the pipeline 
construction. By using a national interest waiver, this administration 
gave Russia the green light to speed ahead to completion of this 
pipeline.
  Look, there is strong opposition to President Biden's deliberate 
failure to follow the law when it comes to this pipeline and the supply 
of energy from Russia to Europe.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the 
Record a letter dated March 3 of this year in which I led a group of 40 
Senators in outlining our concerns.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                    March 3, 2021.
     Hon. Joseph Biden,
     President of the United States,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear President Biden: We write to express our deep concern 
     about the refusal of the Administration to impose sanctions 
     on entities involved in the Nord Stream II pipeline. With 
     construction on the project currently taking place, there is 
     publicly available information on vessels and companies 
     engaging in sanctionable activities. The failure of the 
     Administration to identify and impose new sanctions signals 
     its willingness to allow President Putin to gain a 
     stranglehold over Europe's gas supplies and increase its 
     geopolitical leverage. We call on the Administration to 
     correct its misguided actions by quickly and fully 
     implementing the sanctions mandated by U.S. law.
       The Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA), as 
     amended by the Protecting Europe's Energy Security 
     Clarification Act (PEESCA), mandates sanctions on the 
     companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream II 
     pipeline. The law requires sanctions against entities 
     installing pipes, engaging in pipelaying activities. or 
     insuring or certifying that installation, those activities, 
     and other activities associated with the pipeline. As 
     construction is under way, time is of the essence. The United 
     States must act now to prevent the pipeline from being 
     completed.
       For years, it has been the policy of the United States to 
     oppose the Nord Stream II pipeline, which would carry natural 
     gas from Russia across the Baltic Sea to Germany. The intent 
     of Congress is crystal clear. Congress overwhelmingly passed 
     several pieces of bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions 
     on this project including the Countering America's 
     Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), PEESA, and 
     PEESCA. The Administration cannot turn a blind eye to those 
     who violate our laws. We request the Administration utilize 
     all of the tools at its disposal to implement additional 
     sanctions immediately, especially the most recent round of 
     sanctions in PEESCA that both houses of Congress urgently and 
     repeatedly passed last year.
       On February 19, 2021, the Administration submitted a 
     congressionally mandated report on entities actively 
     supporting, assisting, and working with those involved in the 
     Nord Stream II pipeline. The Administration made the 
     troubling decision to identify only the Russian pipelaying 
     vessel Fortuna and its owner KVT-RUS, both of which were 
     already sanctioned under the Trump Administration in January. 
     The report also listed 18 entities which have ended their 
     involvement in the project, due to the extensive diplomatic 
     efforts of the Trump Administration to wind down their 
     activities. This completely inadequate report undermines the 
     bipartisan efforts of Congress and previous Administrations 
     by not listing the other vessels involved in pipelaying and 
     pipelaying activities as well as companies providing 
     insurance and certification services.
       We call on you to fix this error by immediately identifying 
     and sanctioning the additional entities without delay. While 
     sanctions are being quickly processed on individuals and 
     companies, we ask you to formally notify these entities of 
     the forthcoming sanctions and call on them to stop their work 
     on the Nord Stream II pipeline. In addition, PEESCA also 
     mandates consultation with our allies, which must be 
     conducted and concluded expeditiously.
       As you have previously stated, the Nord Stream II pipeline 
     is a ``bad deal for Europe.'' This point has been clearly 
     demonstrated by Europe's growing opposition to the project. 
     On January 21, 2021, the European Parliament overwhelmingly 
     passed, by a vote of 581-50, a resolution calling on the 
     European Union to immediately stop the completion of the Nord 
     Stream II pipeline. Previously, on December 12, 2018, the 
     European Parliament passed a resolution describing the Nord 
     Stream II pipeline as a ``political project that poses a 
     threat to European energy security'' that should be 
     cancelled. It passed by a vote of 433-105.
       The Nord Stream II pipeline makes American allies and 
     partners in Europe more susceptible to Moscow's coercion and 
     malign influence. It would reinforce Russia's near-monopoly 
     and control of natural gas in the region. In addition, the 
     project would weaken efforts to diversify Europe's energy 
     sources, suppliers and routes. The Nord Stream II pipeline 
     would also provide Russia an opportunity to damage the 
     economy of Ukraine and to further its aggressive actions in 
     the region.
       We appreciate your statements as well as those made by 
     members of the Administration publicly opposing the Nord 
     Stream II pipeline. It is now time to act. It is critical 
     that the United States enforce our laws and hold those 
     entities accountable for assisting Russia in building this 
     dangerous pipeline.
           Sincerely,
         John Barrasso, James E. Risch, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz, 
           Cynthia Lummis, James M. Inhofe, Steve Daines, Joni 
           Ernst, Kevin Cramer, Marco Rubio, John Hoeven, Tom 
           Cotton, Shelley Moore Capito, John Boozman, Cindy Hyde-
           Smith, John Thune, Roger F. Wicker, James Lankford, 
           Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, John Kennedy, 
           Ben Sasse, Thom Tillis, Roger Marshall, M.D., Charles 
           E. Grassley, Susan M. Collins, Bill Hagerty, Mike 
           Braun, Mike Crapo, M. Michael Rounds, Jerry Moran, Bill 
           Cassidy, M.D., Tim Scott, John Cornyn, Dan Sullivan, 
           Mitt Romney, Deb Fischer, Todd Young, Rob Portman, 
           United States Senators.

  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, in this letter, signed by 40 Senators, 
we called out the Biden administration for refusing to impose sanctions 
on entities involved in the construction of this very pipeline.
  It is a lengthy letter, and I am not going to read the whole thing, 
but let me point out, the letter says this:

       The failure of [this] Administration to identify and impose 
     new sanctions signals its willingness to allow President 
     Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe's gas [supply] and 
     increase its geopolitical leverage. We call on the 
     Administration to correct its misguided actions by quickly 
     and fully implementing the sanctions mandated by U.S. law.

  It has been over 6 months, and President Biden still refuses to 
follow the law. Through his inaction, President Biden is gifting Russia 
a new geopolitical weapon.

[[Page S6646]]

  And one of the things I found most astonishing, in terms of this 
administration taking us from energy dominance to energy dependence, is 
what happened just last month. The Biden administration, seeing the 
impact of rising energy costs and rising gasoline costs--people in 
Wyoming paying more than $25 extra every time they fill their tank 
compared to the day that President Biden came into office--he said: We 
need to do something.
  His National Security Advisor actually went to say: We need to ask 
OPEC Plus to produce more oil and to produce more energy.
  Well, who is OPEC Plus? Well, it is Saudi Arabia, and it is Russia. 
In our Energy Committee, of which I am the ranking member, Senator 
Murkowski, the Senator from Alaska, came to the committee and told 
members of the committee that currently the United States is using more 
energy produced from Russia than it is from her home State of Alaska. 
What does that tell you about this administration and the commitment of 
this administration to energy needs in this country--in our own 
country?
  It is very disturbing to see the President act in such a reckless way 
regarding our Nation, our economy, and our energy security, and 
continuing to give gifts like this to our enemies. It is much better to 
sell energy to our friends than have to buy energy from our enemies, 
but that is what appeared on the White House website, put there by the 
National Security Advisor to the President just last month, asking 
Saudi Arabia and OPEC Plus to produce more energy to help lower the 
cost at the pump for people in the United States here at home.
  Well, why do you think we have it, Mr. President? You killed the 
Keystone XL Pipeline and put a longstanding moratorium now on gas 
production on Federal lands, which continues. There still has not been 
a lease sale since the day you signed that Executive order and the day 
you came into office.
  We need to force the President to act on this critical issue of the 
Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. Yesterday--just yesterday--the U.S. House of 
Representatives--the body down the hall, with Nancy Pelosi as the 
Speaker of the House, the House of Representatives--passed an amendment 
to the National Defense Authorization Act imposing new mandatory 
sanctions on Nord Stream 2. It would repeal the national interest 
waiver for sanctions under existing law. Look, this is an incredibly 
important step, and I would look forward to it quickly becoming law.
  Protecting this Russian trap that they have laid for the Germans and 
for Europe--the noose around the neck, the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline--it 
is in our national security interest to block that, but yet this 
administration is not doing it, and I believe it is a grave mistake on 
the part of this administration.
  While President Biden has failed to do the right thing, there is 
still time. The administration can reverse course and fully sanction 
the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. And if President Biden refuses, Congress is 
prepared to take strong actions to protect the energy security of our 
Nation and our allies.
  And with that, I thank Senator Cruz for allowing me to join in 
support of the comments that he is making. We have been wonderful 
partners, and other Members on the floor, in a bipartisan way, with a 
specific focus on what is happening with Russia and its efforts to 
undermine the United States, to undermine NATO, and to try to go back 
to, as they have said, put the band back together--reestablish the 
former Soviet Union, which Vladimir Putin has stated is his goal all 
along.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Wyoming for his 
powerful remarks, and I thank each of the Senators who have worked with 
me, both Republicans and Democrats, in our successful effort for over a 
year to stop the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline--successful, right until Joe 
Biden became President.
  I want to talk now about the precise dangers that are posed by the 
completion of Nord Stream 2. Many agree it would be a catastrophe for 
the security of the United States and for our European allies.
  Nord Stream 2, if it goes online, would double the gas flowing from 
Russia to Germany while circumventing American allies that Putin 
targets militarily, diplomatically, and commercially. As a result, if 
Nord Stream 2 goes online, it will expose Ukraine and Poland to deep, 
long-term dangers, and it will leave them vulnerable the next time 
Russia targets them for aggression.
  Right now, one-third of Russian gas exports to Europe travel through 
Ukraine. That provides Ukraine a curious kind of protection because 
Putin knows that he can't endanger that energy infrastructure without 
endangering his economic line to the world.
  With Nord Stream 2, Putin and Russia are given, by Joe Biden and by 
Kamala Harris, effectively open season on Ukraine. And when a year from 
now we see Russian tanks in Ukraine, we will remember this moment that 
it was Joe Biden's surrender to Putin on Nord Stream 2 that enabled 
Russia to carry out that aggression.
  If Nord Stream 2 goes online, it will enrich Putin with billions of 
dollars to direct toward his malign activities. And, by the way, if you 
don't want to take my word for it, here is what the Polish Prime 
Minister said about Nord Stream 2; that Nord Stream 2 ``strengthens 
Russia's power, helps President Putin to build a military power, [and] 
helps to intimidate other nations.''
  In addition, if Nord Stream 2 goes online, it will solidify Russian 
energy dominance at the expense of European energy diversification. If 
Nord Stream 2 goes online, it will deepen the corruption that 
tragically is endemic across Russia's energy sector, and it will export 
more of that corruption to Europe.
  But I want to talk a bit more about the crushing, overarching danger 
of Russia using Nord Stream 2 for blackmail and for coercion. Putin 
uses energy as a weapon. We have seen that pattern over and over again. 
He uses energy for blackmail and coercion. He turns it off or on to 
punish resistance to his expansionism.
  This is a real, acute, and proven threat. Russia turned off the gas 
to Europe in the winter months of 2006 and again in 2009 because of 
political disputes. The Kremlin company that owns and would run Nord 
Stream 2, Gazprom, has repeatedly cut off gas to Ukraine during 
political crises. It is open blackmail, and because of Joe Biden and 
Kamala Harris, Putin will have more power to blackmail our friends in 
Europe.
  And it is not only me; it is not only Republicans; and, indeed, it is 
not only Republicans and Democrats in Congress who understand the 
magnitude of this threat. Our European allies understand fully just how 
disastrous Nord Stream 2 would be.
  Ukrainian President Zelensky has said that it is flatout ``wrong'' 
``not to notice that'' Nord Stream 2 ``is a dangerous weapon'' not only 
for Europe, ``not only for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe.''
  I want you to pause and reflect. President Zelensky of Ukraine said 
this pipeline is a dangerous weapon directed at Ukraine and the whole 
of Europe. Why is it being built? Because Joe Biden decided to give it 
as a gift to Vladimir Putin.
  In a meeting with the Biden administration, the Polish Deputy Foreign 
Minister said:

       Poland considers this project to be detrimental to the 
     security of not only Ukraine, not only Central Europe, but 
     also to the security of the whole of Europe, making the EU 
     dependent on Russian gas.

  If we give a damn about our friends in Poland, if we give a damn 
about our friends in Ukraine, if we give a damn about our friends in 
Europe, don't allow Joe Biden to allow Vladimir Putin to point this 
weapon at the heart of Europe.
  In a joint statement signed by representatives of the Foreign Affairs 
Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech 
Republic, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, here is 
what the Estonian Foreign Affairs Committee stated: ``Countering malign 
Russian aggression is in the vital national security interest of the 
whole of NATO, the EU and our partners in Central and Eastern Europe,'' 
and that ``Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical project geared towards 
expanding Russia's influence on Europe, through energy dominance.''

[[Page S6647]]

  A question for every Member of this Senate to decide: Do we care 
about endangering the national security, about threatening, about 
making our European friends subject to blackmail? Do we care about what 
Estonia has told us, about what Latvia has told us, about what 
Lithuania has told us? Do we care about the Czech Republic? Do we care 
about Ireland? Do we care about Poland? Do we care about Ukraine? Do we 
care about the United Kingdom?
  Well, our actions can decide that. Unfortunately, Joe Biden and 
Kamala Harris have decided that our European allies, their security is 
not of sufficient concern to them. And, instead, they have actively 
given this pipeline to Vladimir Putin.
  My Democratic colleagues and, indeed, the vast majority of American 
lawmakers, also understand the precise danger of blackmail and coercion 
posed by Nord Stream 2.
  In 2018, Senator Coons, my Democratic colleague from Delaware, said 
quite plainly that ``we have to work with Europe to reduce its 
dependence on Russian energy exports and in particular to convince it 
to discontinue the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.'' 
Senator Coons continued: ``As long as Russia dominates the provision of 
energy to Europe it will continue to hold a veto over many European 
policies and [it] will be in a position to weaken and marginalize 
countries like Poland and Ukraine.''
  Senator Coons was right in 2018, and what he said is right today.
  Joe Biden is committing a generational political blunder, a 
catastrophic mistake that hurts American national security and that 
hurts European security.
  Congress has repeatedly passed sanctions targeting Nord Stream 2, 
targeting Russia's corrupt energy market more broadly. Those sanctions, 
especially CAATSA and PEESA--and I am going to discuss in greater 
detail, later today, the specific sanctions legislation that is on U.S. 
books that Joe Biden is ignoring, that he is flouting, that he is 
disregarding, that he is refusing to enforce. Those sanctions impose 
mandatory sanctions. This body, Congress as a whole, Democrats and 
Republicans, past administrations--everyone has worked together not 
just to counter Russia but, specifically, to prevent Putin from being 
able to leverage energy as a geopolitical weapon.
  The Biden administration, however, tells us they have a better 
solution, a better solution than both Houses of Congress, a better 
solution than following U.S. law. Instead of imposing sanctions to stop 
the pipeline, they tell us they have worked out a deal with Germany 
that they promise will prevent Putin from being able to use energy as a 
weapon. It is the best of both worlds, they say. They don't have to use 
sanctions, and they still solve the problem of Russian energy 
blackmail.
  President Biden said: ``Chancellor Merkel and I are absolutely united 
in our conviction that Russia must not be allowed to use energy as a 
weapon to coerce or threaten its neighbors.''
  Those are nice sentiments, if they weren't accompanied with Joe Biden 
giving a multibillion-dollar generational gift to Putin to do exactly 
what President Biden just said he didn't want Putin to do.
  Here is how an official from the Biden State Department described the 
deal: ``There's a clear commitment on the part of the United States and 
Germany in this statement that should Russia attempt to use energy as a 
weapon''--and, as an aside, they have done so over and over and over 
and over again in the past--``should Russia attempt to use energy as a 
weapon . . . Germany will take action at the national level and press 
for effective measures at the European level, including sanctions to 
limit Russian export capabilities to Europe in the energy sector, and 
that includes gas and/or other economically relevant sectors.''
  So understand what they are saying. If and when Russia does what they 
have done in the past over and over again, if they do--one of the 
reasons they want Nord Stream 2 is to exercise economic blackmail. If 
and when they do that, Germany is going to send a really stern letter 
to the European Union.
  One of my favorite movies that Heidi and I have watched many times is 
a movie called ``Team America.'' It is a comedy. It is done by the 
creators of the movie ``South Park.'' It is a movie that involves 
puppets. I will give a warning: It is a movie with an enormous amount 
of profanity in it. It is also one of the most sidesplittingly funny 
movies ever made.
  In ``Team America,'' they talk about Hans Blix and the tool of 
sending a stern letter to the United Nations. The movie ``Team 
America'' understandably ridicules that as being utterly ineffective. 
In the case of that movie, it was North Korea. But in the case of 
Putin, I assure you, Vladimir Putin has not lost 1 minute of sleep 
worrying about Germany's letter to the European Union.
  Once Nord Stream 2 goes online, it will become a dominant source of 
energy for Europe. Putin knows this. Merkel knows this. Biden knows 
this.
  Turning off Nord Stream 2, which Germany has suggested: Oh, once we 
are addicted to the crack, we will just turn it off when we don't want 
it anymore--that would be suicidal, which Putin knows, and he is 
counting on it.

  It is as empty and hollow a threat as has ever been uttered on the 
international stage. And, even worse, we already know that it is a 
hollow threat because Putin has already, in just the last few days, 
crossed the line into using energy as a weapon.
  So we don't have to go back to 2006. We don't have to go back to 
2009. Let's go back to last week.
  In just the last week, it has become clear that Putin has been 
turning down gas exports to Europe to coerce our allies into dropping 
opposition to Nord Stream 2.
  The blackmail is open, and it is brazen. Russian and Gazprom 
officials have said: If Germany and the EU approve Nord Stream 2 coming 
online, then the Russians will turn exports back up.
  On Friday, more than 40 Members of the European Parliament called for 
an investigation of the coercion, saying Gazprom was driving up prices 
to ``pressure'' the European Union into speeding Nord Stream 2 
activation.
  So I want you to pause and reflect. The Biden administration's claim 
to prevent Nord Stream 2 being used as a weapon for energy blackmail 
is, if Russia ever does it, Germany will stand up to them.
  Russia is doing it right now--not in 2006--well, yes, they did in 
2006. Not in 2009--well, yes, they did in 2009. Today, last week--and 
they are not hiding it. They are saying: We are going to cut off your 
energy until you approve Nord Stream 2.
  How exactly is the Biden administration claiming they are going to 
prevent the malign use of this pipeline? They are literally 
surrendering to blackmail right now for no reason.
  You know, sadly, the reason--over the past 9 months, I have had 
conversations with just about every senior Biden State Department 
nominee, in my office, over and over and over again, about Nord Stream 
2. Almost to a person, the nominees agree: Nord Stream 2 would be 
terrible. It would be disastrous. It would be bad for America. It would 
be bad for Europe. It would be good for Russia.
  They all agree with that. By the way, Tony Blinken, the Secretary of 
State, said so vociferously in his confirmation hearing, and he said so 
even more vociferously sitting on the couch in my office. They all 
admit this.
  So why, then, would Biden have committed this disastrous mistake? 
Sadly, I think there are two reasons. One, the Biden team entered 
office with an almost pathological revulsion to anything the previous 
administration did. If the Trump administration did it, it must be 
wrong and must be reversed.
  Now, listen. None of us in this Chamber are naive. We understand 
politics. We understand that when one party takes over from the other 
party, they often reverse policy decisions. That is not unusual.
  Obama reversed decisions of the Bush administration. Trump reversed 
decisions of the Obama administration. And there are a whole lot of 
decisions of the Trump administration that, sadly, from my perspective, 
Biden is reversing. As a general matter, that is why we have elections, 
and there are differences between the policy positions between the two 
parties.
  But the Biden team is further than that. It is almost a pathological 
``if Trump did it, it must be bad.'' Never mind that the Trump 
administration

[[Page S6648]]

did this only after the Congress came together in an extraordinary 
moment of bipartisan unity and passed this as mandatory legislation.
  In my office, over and over again, with just about every senior Biden 
State Department nominee, I asked them: Please don't turn one of the 
biggest foreign policy victories of the last several years into one of 
the biggest foreign policy defeats of the last several years.
  The reports came out, actually, that State tried to honor its 
commitment; that State--the Department of State--in the interagency 
process, argued for ``let's follow the law; let's impose the 
sanctions.'' And what public reports have suggested is that the Biden 
White House--the political operatives in the Biden White House--
overruled State.
  So even though State knew that the right policy was ``shut down the 
Putin pipeline'' and the wrong policy was ``turn it into the Biden-
Putin pipeline,'' the Biden White House desperately wanted to stamp 
their imprimatur on this, because if it was done under President Trump, 
they were going to reverse it.
  The second reason is that the Biden foreign policy team, for whatever 
reason, has a deep and abiding interest in giving to Germany whatever 
it is they want.
  Now, look, Germany is an important friend and ally. We work together 
closely with Germany on economic matters, on diplomatic matters. We 
have long and positive relationships with our friend and ally Germany. 
It doesn't mean we agree with everything the Germans do, any more than 
we agree with everything any other ally of ours does.
  Indeed, I will point out, in the past week, the Biden administration 
precipitated the French withdrawing their Ambassador from America--an 
extraordinary moment, which, I will point out, at least illustrates 
that we have a history of having disagreements, and sometimes serious 
disagreements, with our friends and allies.
  But one friend of mine has a phrase--he puts it--that the Biden 
foreign policy establishment, they sleep with votive candles of Angela 
Merkel under their beds; that they view Chancellor Merkel as someone 
who must be surrendered to, acquiesced to no matter what. Never mind 
that Chancellor Merkel has an extremely limited tenure in office. She 
is on her way out. Never mind that the next successor government in 
Germany may well decide that they don't even want Nord Stream 2. This 
Biden foreign policy team, perhaps as a farewell gift to Angela Merkel, 
has decided that President Biden should surrender to Putin. That makes 
no sense. That is dangerous. It is harmful to Europe, it is harmful to 
Germany, it is harmful to America, and it helps Russia.
  We are going to have an extended period of time to continue to 
discuss these matters, but at this point, I see that Senator Shaheen is 
preparing to speak, so I yield the floor to Senator Shaheen.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Warnock). The Senator from New Hampshire.