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I hope you saw my latest weekly column.

 

ROGER WICKER: Biden's Weakness Paved Way for Russian Invasion
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February 24 will be remembered as the day Vladimir Putin proved himself a war
criminal. The Russian dictator’s bloody massacre on his Ukrainian neighbors
could have been prevented by decisive American leadership. Instead, President
Biden tried to appease Putin, apparently believing he could reason with the
tyrant even as he amassed 180,000 troops for a predictable invasion. Many of us
had called on President Biden to hit Russia with punishing sanctions, but he
refused. He also preemptively took options off the table, including close air
support for our Ukrainian friends. Putin took all of this – together with our
Afghanistan debacle – for weakness and decided this was his prime window to
invade a sovereign democracy.

Putting heavy sanctions on Russia earlier would have been far more effective
at preventing this war, but President Biden should unleash them now
nonetheless. He recently announced new sanctions on Russian banks, Putin’s
inner circle, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. But he
needs to go further. He should dump every possible sanction on Moscow and push
relentlessly for our European friends to join us. He should also dramatically
increase weapons and supplies to Ukraine. We persuaded them to give up their
nuclear stockpile, and we now have an obligation to help them defend themselves.

Putin's War Will Hit American Wallets

As scores of Ukrainians now give their lives in defense of their country, we
must recognize that Putin’s cold-blooded invasion will affect us here in
America. President Biden should use his forthcoming State of the Union address
to lay out the costs we can all expect.

Putin’s war has already caused energy prices to surge. Oil prices recently
topped $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014, and U.S. gas prices are
up 24 cents from a month ago. Financial markets are also at risk, threatening
American savings, 401ks, and overall investment in our economy. The heavy
sanctions Putin has brought on himself will also stifle global trade, driving
up the cost of certain goods on our store shelves. Supply chains will face
additional stress, even as they have already been disrupted by the pandemic.
The global food supply will likely be disrupted as well. And we can expect to
face pressure from our European allies to take in Ukrainian refugees, who are
now fleeing their country in droves.

The war in Ukraine will also drive inflation even higher, resulting in less
buying power for every American family. Inflation under President Biden has
already reached a 40-year high. This crisis is likely to weaken the value of
the dollar further, falling hardest on those living on fixed incomes and
lower-income Americans.

Biden Must End War on U.S. Energy

 

We cannot control everything Putin does, but President Biden can immediately
strengthen our position by ending his war on American energy. During his first
months in office, President Biden killed the Keystone XL Pipeline project,
banned new oil and gas drilling on federal land and waters, and rejoined the
Paris Climate Agreement, which will needlessly kill U.S. energy jobs. Because
of these self-inflicted wounds, experts predict we will soon lose our status as
a net energy exporter.

President Biden needs to reverse these decisions and unleash the full strength
of our energy sector. Doing so would put downward pressure on gas prices and
allow us to ramp up oil and gas exports to our European allies, making them
less dependent on Russia for energy. Our Commander-in-Chief stumbled into this
crisis through weakness, but he can reduce the worst impacts on our nation by
pivoting to a course of strength.

 

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Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker

 

 

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