COULD LEAD TO WORLD WAR III.
SANCTIONS HAVE NOT STOPPED THE
ADVANCE.
CONGRESSMAN JIM BANKS, CHAIRMAN
OF THE REPUBLICAN STUDY
COMMITTEE.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION AT A
DISCUSSION GROUP I WENT TO
YESTERDAY.
WHAT’S THE OFF RAMP HERE, IS
THERE AN OFF RAMP?
>> I DON’T KNOW, JOHN.
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS SHOWN US
MANY DIFFERENT SCENARIOS,
BRIEFED US A HANDFUL OF TIMES
SINCE RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE.
THERE’S NO SCENARIO THAT ENDS
NECESSARILY WITH A POSITIVE
OUTCOME.
THE ONLY THING WE CAN HOPE FOR
IS CONTINUE TO GIVE THE PEOPLE
OF UKRAINE A FIGHTING CHANCE.
GIVE THEM THE LETHAL WEAPON, THE
MILITARY EQUIPMENT ZELENSKYY HAS
BEEN BEGGING US FOR.
I WAS AT THE MUNICH SECURITY
CONFERENCE THREE WEEKS AGO,
BEFORE RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE,
AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY ASKED
FOR EVERYTHING HE ASKED FOR OVER
THE WEEKEND.
SAYING WE NEED IT NOW TO STOP IT
FROM HAPPENING, BUT PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S WEAKNESS AND EVERYTHING
LEADING UP TO THE INVASION,
EVERYTHING AFTER SO FAR HAS ONLY
MADE THIS SITUATION WORSE.
>> John: AS YOU POINTED OUT,
ZELENSKYY HAS BEEN PLEADING FOR
WEAPONS AND MUNITIONS, AND ALSO
BEGGING FOR IT FOR MONTHS
LEADING UP.
AND SAID EARLIER TODAY ABOUT
SANCTIONS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP
PUTIN.
>> THIS IS MURDER, DELIBERATE
MURDER.
THINK ABOUT THE SENSE OF
IMPUNITY OF INVADERS.
ANNOUNCE THEIR PLANNED
ATROCITIES, WHY, THERE IS NO
REACTION, THERE IS SILENCE.
NOT A WORD AS IF THE WESTERN
LEADERS HAVE RESOLVE TONIGHT.
AUDACITY OF THE AGGRESSOR IS A
CLEAR SIGNAL TO THE WEST THAT
SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA ARE NOT
ENOUGH.
>> John: SANCTIONS OF RUSSIA ARE
NOT ENOUGH AND CLAIMING THE WEST
IS SILENT ABOUT THIS.
CLEARLY THE WEST IS NOT SILENT,
THERE ARE A LOT OF WEAPONS
FLOWING IN.
WHAT MORE CAN CONGRESS DO TO TRY
TO HELP SUPPORT ZELENSKYY AND
UKRAINIANS IN THE FIGHT?
>> OPPORTUNITY THIS WEEK TO
PROVIDE A HUMANITARIAN PACKAGE,
BOTH HUMANITARIAN AID AND MORE
FUNDING AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT
ON TOP OF IT.
BUT BAD NEWS, DEMOCRATS ARE
HOLDING IT HOSTAGE AND THE
OVERALL OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL.
WE HAVE TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN ON WEDNESDAY BY PASSING
SOME KIND OF A SPENDING BILL,
INSTEAD OF PUTTING THE
HUMANITARIAN AID FOR UKRAINE ON
THE SIDE, BROAD BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT, I GUARANTEE IT WOULD
PASS, THEY PUT IT AS A PART OF
THE LARGE SPENDING BILL WHICH A
LOT OF US WILL NOT GO FOR, MAKES
LIFE HARDER FOR AMERICAN
FAMILIES, A HARD ENOUGH TIME
BECAUSE OF RISING ENERGY PRICES.
THAT’S THE BAD NEWS.
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A CHANCE TO
LEAD, TO SHOW THE REST OF THE
WORLD, NOT JUST UKRAINE BUT THE
WORLD THAT WE ARE BEHIND THE
PEOPLE OF UKRAINE AND INSTEAD
THEY ARE PLAYING POLITICS.
>> John: IT SEEMS ODDS CONGRESS
CANNOT GET TOGETHER ON THIS IN A
BIPARTISAN FASHION.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
UKRAINE MAY NOT LAST MUCH
LONGER.
P UTIN SAID OVER THE WEEKEND ANY
COUNTRY THAT GETS INVOLVED IN A
NO-FLY ZONE IS GOING TO BE
CONSIDERED A COMBATANT, AND I’M
WONDERING, HOW LONG IS IT GOING
TO BE BEFORE HE SAYS ANY COUNTRY
THAT SUPPLIES ARMS TO UKRAINE IS
GOING TO BE CONSIDERED A
COMBATANT AND HE STARTS
TARGETING SUPPLY LINES COMING
FROM POLAND AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
>> I’M REMINDED OF THE REAGAN
ERA MANTRA PEACE THROUGH
STRENGTH, AND WHERE WE FAILED
WHERE WE HAVE NOT SHOWN THAT
TYPE OF STRENGTH.
THANK GOD DURING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WE GAVE LETHAL
AID TO UKRAINE, THAT’S WHAT THEY
ARE USING TO FIGHT BACK RIGHT
NOW.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THIS WEEK
AND I HOPE CONGRESS CAN FIND A
WAY TO DO IT, TO GIVE UKRAINE
THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.
I’M SKEPTICAL IT WOULD HAPPEN.
>> John: WE SEE THE HORRIBLE
SUFFERING OF THE PEOPLE AS THEY
TRY TO ESCAPE THE RUSSIAN BOMBS
AND MORTARS AND SHELLS.
HERE AT HOME, PEOPLE ARE
SUFFERING ECONOMICALLY AS WELL.
OIL TOUCHED $130 A BARREL
OVERNIGHT, PRICE OF GASOLINE IS
GOING WAY UP, AND YET THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT SEEM TO
BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING BESIDES
TAP INTO THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM
RESERVE, ALWAYS HAS A MINIMAL
EFFECT.
JOE MANCHIN SAID THE UNITED
STATES COULD EASILY GET ITS WAY
OUT OF THE OIL CRISIS.
>> WE HAVE THE ENERGY.
WE HAVE THE RESOURCES HERE.
WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY.
WE ARE A MILLION BARRELS SHORT A
DAY RIGHT NOW WE CAN RAMP UP
LIKE THAT.
WE CAN DO CERTAIN THINGS AND
DON’T HAVE TO PUT ANY MORE PAIN
ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> John: THIS IS A DEMOCRATIC
SENATOR WHO HAS BEEN A LITTLE
OUT OF STEP WITH MANY OTHER
DEMOCRATS SAYING WE CAN SOLVE
THE PROBLEM TOMORROW, TURN ON
THE SPIGOT.
WHY ISN’T THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION DOING THAT?
>> THE DEMOCRATS ARE PANDERING
THE RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALLISTS
AND USING THE CONFLICT TO PASS
RADICAL CLIMATE CHANGE, RENEW
DEAL AGENDA AND THAT’S THE SAD
REALITY OF IT.
WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO $5 A
GALLON GAS ON AVERAGE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
>> John: THAT WOULD BE CHEAP IN
CALIFORNIA.
>> OR WASHINGTON D.C., BUT THE
REST OF AMERICA IT’S ONLY GOING
TO GET WORSE BECAUSE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION REFUSES TO DO
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, START,
RESTART CONSTRUCTION ON THE
KEYSTONE PIPELINE, START
DRILLING AGAIN ON FEDERAL LANDS.
MORE CONTRACTS IN NEW MEXICO AND
THE ARCTIC.
THIS IS COMMON SENSE.
WE SAW IT WORK FOR FOUR YEARS
UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP, ENERGY
INDEPENDENT AND NOW BIDEN IS
GOING AROUND THE WORLD BEGGING
OTHER ADVERSARIES LIKE IRAN AND
VENEZUELA, OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE
SAUDI ARABIA TO INCREASE OIL
PRODUCTION WHEN WE COULD BE
DOING IT RIGHT HERE.
>> John: AND I NOTICED, I SAW A
BULLETIN EARLIER THE E.P.A. IS
PROPOSING NEW EMISSIONS
STANDARDS FOR TRUCKS AND BUSSES.