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Ranking Member Risch Opening Statement at Hearing Entitled: Update on U.S.-Russia Policy

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee hearing on U.S.-Russia policy. The committee heard witness testimony from the Honorable Victoria Nuland, under secretary of State for political affairs.

Ranking Member Risch gave the following remarks:

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

“That was an extensive opening statement, and I would like to join in the chairman’s remarks. This is a clearly, clearly bipartisan matter, and rather than going over it again, I will simply say that those who are listening, both our allies and those in Moscow, listen carefully to what’s been said here. I join in those remarks. My sentiment is the same as the chairman’s. I think that I can tell you that the sentiment in the United States Senate is very much as described by the chairman.

“We haven’t had a readout yet on what the phone call was like this morning. I don’t know whether you’re ready to do that here yet or not. Whatever happens, I hope you’ll communicate back to the administration, although I suspect it’ll be there before you get back, of the resolve that this body has to move forward if indeed such an act by Russia occurs.

“With that I’ll yield back. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.”

These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. Witness testimony is available on foreign.senate.gov.

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