House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a stark warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia’s military buildup near the Ukraine region showed no signs of slowing down on Sunday.
“The truth is that we believe the attack on Ukraine is an assault on democracy,” Pelosi told George Stephanopoulos during an exclusive interview with ABC’s This Week. “We understand that the loss of life, damage, and incidental damage to civilians, military personnel, and the rest are huge.”
“If he decides to invade, then mothers in Russia do not like their children to go to what he had to experience – forgive the expression – body bags of mothers before, so he should know that war is not an answer. There are very dire consequences to his aggression and we are united in using it “.
Pelosi said the United States should be prepared for any possible invasion, and believes the sanctions have served as a deterrent so far.
“If we don’t threaten sanctions and the rest, that will ensure Putin invades. Let’s hope diplomacy works. It’s about diplomacy and deterrence and diplomacy and deterrence,” Pelosi said.
“The president has made it clear: There’s a heavy price to pay for Russia to go there,” Pelosi said. “So if Russia doesn’t invade, it doesn’t mean he never meant it, just that the sanctions worked.”
“I am very proud of what the president has done. The unity of our allies and NATO to come to an agreement on the severity of the sanctions is very important. And that is something Putin has to pay a lot for,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi noted that while President Joe Biden has the power to issue sanctions by executive order, it “would be better” if Congress did so through legislation.
The Senate has been negotiating the Russia Penal Code, but as of last week, lawmakers have concluded that they have reached a “deadlock” in their talks. The senators said they would continue to negotiate while also considering “other” options.
On the domestic front, Pelosi has advocated passing historically massive spending bills for the coronavirus and infrastructure, which some say have contributed to rising costs across the United States.
She noted that legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives to better compete with China, as well as the much-anticipated Rebuilding Better Act, will help with supply chain issues and improve the economy in the long run.
“The fact that people have jobs always contributes to higher inflation. That is a good thing. But inflation is not good [thing]Pelosi said.
“There has to be a cumulative effect, a cumulative effect, and part of the consequences of all this investment in the infrastructure bill and the rest is that more people have jobs and so inflation goes up,” Pelosi said.
“The BBB is a deficit-reduction bill,” Pelosi added. “the [Joint Committee on Taxation] He says the BBB will reduce the national debt by $100 billion in the first 10 years and $1 trillion in the second 10.”
She urged Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to understand the role of Congress in tackling inflation rather than contributing to it, which he claims would do the BBB pass.
“It’s very important for us to tackle it. We have to lower it but it’s not. It’s not true – with all the respect in the world to my friend Joe Manchin – it’s not right to say that what we’re doing is contributing to inflation because it’s just the opposite,” Pelosi said. .
Stephanopoulos also pressed Pelosi about the rising crime rate in America and noted the differing opinions among some members of Congress about how to handle the issue. Some have called for an increase in the police force, while other members, such as Democratic Representative Cory Bush of Missouri, have supported the “Defund the Police” movement.
Pelosi said of the “Defund the Police” movement that advocates reallocating funds from the police force to CBOs and non-police forms of public safety.
“The safety of the community, to protect and defend in every way, is our oath of office,” Pelosi said. She pointed to the “George Floyd Police Justice Act of 2021” as a response to the high crime rates. The legislation is a human rights and police reform bill drafted by Democrats. The legislation aims to combat police misconduct, excessive force and racial prejudice in police work. The House approved the measure in 2020 after Floyd’s murder, but it’s stalled in the Senate.
Stephanopoulos also noted Biden’s low approval rating as Democrats prepare for the upcoming midterm elections in November. Pelosi asked if she was concerned about losing a majority given the large number of Democrats who have already announced they are not running for reelection.
“I’m not in pain. I’m organizing,” Pelosi replied. “We are absolutely intent on winning this election. Nothing less is at stake.”
“Forget history,” Pelosi told Stephanopoulos when referring to the historic election results during the midterm year. “We’re talking about the future….we have every intention every day to do everything we can. We decided to win and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Asked by Stephanopoulos if she intends to run for Speaker of the House again, Pelosi joked, “That’s not a question. My goal right now is just to win that election. To win that election, nothing less is at stake in our democracy.”
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