[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 48 (Thursday, March 17, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H3785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON ENERGY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Casten) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CASTEN. Madam Speaker, Vladimir Putin's horrific war against the 
Ukrainian people has all of us talking about how to prevent him and 
other oil-rich autocrats like him from being able to afford to commit 
these heinous acts in the future. It has also, all of a sudden, made 
everybody in this town an energy expert. I am here to set the record 
straight about a few things.
  One, Russia is a petrostate. Fossil fuels are funding Putin's war 
crimes against the Ukrainian people. Fossil fuels are funding Putin's 
assault on democracy. Fossil fuels are funding the demise of post-World 
War II stability in Europe. Putin's power comes from fossil fuels and 
our world's dependence on them.
  Two, you cannot end an addiction by increasing the supply. No amount 
of increased fossil fuel extraction in the United States, which, I 
should note, would take years, can take away Russia's influence on the 
global energy market. Since fossil fuels are a global commodity, as 
long as we depend on them, Americans will continue to be subject to 
wild price fluctuations based on the whims of petro-dictators.
  Three, when the fossil fuel industry and the conservative politicians 
they bankroll go on television claiming the solution to the pain you 
are feeling at the pump today is to drill more in the U.S., they are 
lying to you. They are lying in a cynical attempt to take advantage of 
a tragic situation to line their own pocketbooks. You deserve the 
truth.
  The truth is that there is only one long-term solution to stop 
funding oil-rich autocrats and insulate Americans from energy price 
inflation: Double down on our transition to cleaner, cheaper, 
domestically produced renewable energy and energy efficiency.
  The horror that we are seeing in Ukraine makes it abundantly clear 
that clean energy isn't just necessary to protect against climate 
devastation. Preventing wars and protecting our national security 
demands investments in clean energy. American energy independence 
demands investments in clean energy. Lowering costs demands investments 
in clean energy.
  Every day we fail to reach an agreement on the baseline climate 
investments that were passed in the House is a day that Americans pay 
the price at the pumps and oil-rich autocrats profit.
  That is why I have led nearly 90 of my House colleagues in calling on 
President Biden to lead a climate restart to reconciliation 
negotiations centering the cost-saving clean energy investments as the 
path forward to deliver tangible results to the American people. This 
is a code red moment, and it cannot wait any longer.


                Supporting Women Who Are Sexually Abused

  Mr. CASTEN. Madam Speaker, sexual assault is common among female 
students of all ages, races, and ethnicities. On college campuses, one 
in five women in college experience a sexual assault. Studies show that 
students are at the highest risk of sexual assault in the first few 
months of their first and second semesters in college.
  This is unacceptable. Every woman everywhere has the right to live 
free from abuse. This is why it was so important to reauthorize the 
Violence Against Women Act, and I am proud that we finally passed that 
reauthorization into law in our omnibus package.
  But we also have to ensure that women who are at risk have trained, 
trusted professionals who they can reach out to when they are at risk. 
That is why I was pleased to introduce, and see included in the final 
package, my amendment to ensure that appropriate campus faculty, such 
as academic advisers or professionals who deal with students on a daily 
basis, are trained to recognize victims of sexual and domestic 
violence. We have to ensure that our campuses are equipped with the 
tools and knowledge to combat violence against women.
  If you are sexually assaulted, your experience is valid. It is not 
your fault, and you are not alone. Please know there is a community of 
people ready and willing to believe you, trust you, and support you.


    Trading in Individual Stocks by Congressional Staff and Members

  Mr. CASTEN. Madam Speaker, there is an iron rule of investing: unless 
you are Warren Buffet or have access to insider information, you won't 
make money trying to outsmart the market. Invest in mutual funds and 
index funds to build your wealth.
  And yet, according to a recent New York Times article, Members of 
Congress are not only buying and selling a lot of individual stocks, 
but we consistently outperform the market.
  I don't see Warren Buffet here nor do I see a lot of people with long 
track records of successful stock picking before they came to Congress, 
but I do see a lot of people with access to a lot of inside 
information, who know when we are about to change our defense contracts 
or invest in domestic semiconductor capacity, update our antitrust 
laws, or buy vaccines, and have the ability to trade on that inside 
information.

  Our responsibilities as Members of Congress are a trust from the 
voters. Ethics matters. That is why I don't personally own or trade 
individual stocks, and I encourage every Member of Congress to stop 
trading stocks immediately. Even the appearance of impropriety by one 
Member cheapens us all.
  That is why I am a proud cosponsor of the Ban Conflicted Trading Act, 
which would bar Members of Congress and senior congressional staff from 
buying or selling individual stocks and other investments and from 
serving on any corporate boards while in office.
  We owe it to the American people to pass that bill and sign it into 
law.

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