Chairman McCaul on the House Floor: “Now Is the Time to Act”

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul delivered opening remarks on the House Floor in support of his bill H.R. 8038, the "21st Century Peace through Strength Act," which will serve as the fourth pillar of the House Republican national security supplemental package.

Watch his opening remarks here.

-Remarks as Delivered-

Thank you Madam Chair.

The most serious matters that any committee deals with are matters of war and peace. It's those votes that are the most consequential votes of your career.

This is one of those moments.

As Secretary Pompeo and General Keane recently wrote in a letter to Congress, quote, "we write at a pivotal moment in our nation's history to applaud your efforts to secure vital support to America's allies and to strengthen America's defenses." End quote.

For they know that the world is on fire.

From Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; to Chairman Xi threatening Taiwan in the Pacific; to the Ayatollah rearing his ugly head, invading Israel through his proxies.

The eyes of the world are upon us. And history will judge us by what we do here and now.

I want to thank Speaker Johnson, who has been under enormous pressure. He has said he wants to be on the right side of history.

And with this vote today, he absolutely is. He put the interest of the nation above himself. He is truly a profile in courage.

President Reagan taught us that peace is achieved through strength.

And that is what this bill is about. It's about providing deterrence so we don't have another war like my father's generation.

That is why I titled it the 21^st Century Peace through Strength Act.

This bill includes my REPO Act that allows the transfer of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the United States so that Putin pays for the war he started.

This is not just morally the right thing to do. It's also the fiscally responsible thing to do on behalf of the American taxpayer. Let Putin pay for it.

That's why President Trump's former economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, supports this provision.

This bill also protects Americans - especially our children - from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party-controlled TikTok.

This app is a spy balloon in Americans' phones. It is modern day Trojan horse of the CCP, used to surveil and exploit American's personal information.

This bill also includes the most comprehensive sanctions against Iran that Congress has passed in years, including sanctions on exports of Iranian energy.

China has bought 80 billion dollars worth of energy from Iran - money, Madam Chair, Iran is using to fund terror operations like we saw last weekend.

This bill also imposes sanctions on anyone involved in Iran's drone and missile program.

Think about this Madam Chair. Iran makes the drones and the missiles that are bought by Russia to kill Ukrainians. And as we saw last Saturday, Iran is also manufacturing these drones - with Russia's support - to kill Israelis.

This must be stopped.

As Reagan said, quote, "When it comes to keeping America strong, when it comes to keeping America great, when it comes to keeping America at peace, then none of us can afford to be simply a Democrat or a Republican. We must all stand united as Americans."

Once again today, we need to speak with one voice as one nation - especially when addressing our adversaries.

For Putin is watching us. Chairman Xi is watching us. The Ayatollah is watching us.

Now is the time to act.

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