[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 45 (Monday, March 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Biden Administration

  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, 2 weeks ago, Russia initiated the 
largest land conflict in Europe since World War II. Millions of men, 
women, and children fled their homes to safety. Countless others have 
taken up arms in the name of freedom.
  President Putin's unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine did not 
happen overnight. The warning signs were very, very clear. The response 
from the Biden administration was anything but. The administration had 
false hope that strongly worded statements would be enough to deter an 
unprovoked war.
  President Biden waited until after Russia invaded Ukraine to level 
any sanctions at all. And even then, sanctions came in waves, and they 
are still coming.
  President Biden was slow to hit Putin where it hurts. He refused to 
penalize the Russian energy sector until roughly a week--1 week--after 
the invasion took place. The President refused to act, and the world 
now sees the heart-wrenching results.
  President Biden has shown weakness on the world stage throughout his 
40-plus years in politics--40 years. His foreign policy caves to 
adversaries, undermines our allies, and devalues the sacrifices of our 
men and women in uniform.
  In his first year of office, he abandoned 20 years of effort in 
Afghanistan and emboldened Putin to attack his neighbor. As I speak, 
the White House is reviving Iran's hope of developing a nuclear weapon.

  Originally brokered when Joe Biden was Vice President in 2015, the 
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the JCPOA or 
the Iran deal, was a deeply flawed agreement aimed at preventing Iran 
from acquiring nuclear weapons. In reality, it did the exact opposite.
  Nuclear security can't be achieved with wishful thinking, watered-
down sanctions, or by sending our adversaries planeloads of cash, which 
we did. Years later, we all know the result. The Iran deal did not 
work.
  President Biden wants to revive this disastrous deal, and this time 
it will be even worse. The Iranians don't even want to negotiate with 
America and President Biden's administration so we are allowing Russia 
to join at the negotiating table negotiating for the United States. It 
doesn't make any sense. Many Americans are likely asking why? The 
United States cannot trust the Russian Federation in any capacity. If 
working with and propping up Russia isn't bad enough, Iran is poised to 
receive billions of dollars from frozen assets in this new agreement, 
including funds from renewed oil exports.
  Rather than unleashing the power of the American energy industry and 
allowing Americans to drill, drill, drill on our own soil, the Biden 
administration would rather do business with Venezuela and plead with 
Saudi Arabia to turn on the spigots.
  The administration is, again, leading from behind, held back by their 
pledge to their false climate gods. Yes, the climate has changed, and 
it has been changing for decades, but we can't let the far-left 
extremist wing push us to buy oil from convicts and criminals just 
because they would rather hamstring our economy than unleash American 
energy.
  The administration is letting Russia and Iran and China dictate the 
rules of the game, and they are letting an unelected bureaucrat who was 
not Senate confirmed, by the name of Rob Malley, conduct these talks 
through Russia. His now-former colleague resigned. Malley's former 
colleague resigned in protest over Mr. Malley in conceding to Iran.
  The Russian negotiators are bragging about Iran's huge wins in this 
would-be deal. I have a long list of concerns about how these 
negotiations are unfolding, but at the top are the limited sanctions 
the administration appears to be open to in exchange for a short-term 
pause on the development of Tehran's nuclear program.
  Let me be clear. These short-term sanctions are not the solution. 
They weren't a few years ago, and they are not today. The 
administration must not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. The 
Iran deal was a bad deal in 2015, and it would be a worse deal today. 
The Biden administration should immediately--immediately--walk away 
from the negotiating table before these discussions lead to yet another 
Biden foreign policy disaster.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.