[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK

  (Mr. JAMES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JAMES. Madam Speaker, South Africa's Government has recently 
adopted a worrying path highlighted by its refusal to clearly oppose 
Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine and its shameful decision to host 
Russia and China for naval exercises on the war's anniversary.
  I am a combat veteran. I have participated in both war games and war. 
Make no mistake, one is intended to prepare for the other.
  In hard times it is easy to be seduced by the siren song of 
isolationism. Allowing vacuums of American influence around the world 
to be filled with Chinese yuan and Russian lies is a threat to our 
American economy and security at home.
  We must speak softly and carry a big stick. And with our big stick, 
we must eliminate safe havens for terror organizations in Africa that 
would metastasize into direct threats to America in the Western 
Hemisphere; ensure that American-made goods both catalyze economic 
growth at home and help reduce long-term aid dependence in Africa; and 
eliminate slave labor in our battery supply chains starting with 
minerals stripped from Africa on the backs of Black children.
  In a world where America is no longer the only choice, we must return 
to being the most desirable choice. It is in our vital national 
interest to ensure that when nations like South Africa have a choice 
between China or the United States of America, they will always choose 
America first.

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