{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=703", "Connolly Calls on Congress to Pass Connolly-Chabot Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act", "2014-11-21", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Failure to stand up against Putin's illegal annexation of Crimea will set a danger and irrevocable precedent, said Rep. Connolly. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      On Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed legislation prohibiting federal agencies from taking action that recognizes Russian sovereignty over Crimea.The bipartisan legislationwas introduced by Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)with Steve Chabot (R-OH).\u201cThe United States must lead the way in refusing to recognize or legitimize the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation,\u201d said Rep. Connolly. \u201cFailure to stand up against Putin\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea will set a danger and irrevocable precedent.\u201d\u201cAcquiescence on the part of the U.S. threatens the security of all sovereign nations. Who is next? Moldova? Georgia? The Baltic Republics?\u201d added Connolly.When Russian troops were identified as fomenting unrest in Crimea in February of this year, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin adamantly denied involvement. By April, Russia had illegally annexed Crimea, and Putin had come clean about the blatant Russian intrusion, admitting that Russian troops had been deployed to Crimea before the illegal annexation on March 21.\u201cNow, Putin\u2019s playbook is being put to in eastern Ukraine,\u201d said Connolly.Last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg certified a serious Russian military buildup in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. and our European allies have issued successive rounds of sanctions and warnings as Russian aggression has mounted and spurred violence and destruction in the region.\u201cThe U.S. lacks credibility objecting to Russia\u2019s aggression without a firm stance on Crimea,\u201d added Connolly. \u201cCongress must make a simple, declarative statement on Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea. The Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act does just that.\u201dFull Connolly Statement on H.R. 5241, Crimea Annexation Non-recognition ActHouse Committee on Foreign Affairs  Thursday, November 20, 2014  Statement by Rep. Gerald E. ConnollyI want to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for bringing H.R. 5241, the Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act, to the Full Committee for markup. I introduced this legislation with my colleague, Mr. Chabot, and it has broad bipartisan support.The dangerous precedent set in Crimea cannot be overstated. Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea undermines Ukrainian sovereignty and threatens the stability of European borders. Acquiescence on the part of the U.S. threatens the security of sovereign nations. Who is next? Moldova? Georgia? The Baltic Republics?Countries seeking to shed authoritarian institutions or pursue democratic reforms have historically been drawn to Western economic prosperity and democratic freedoms like a shining beacon. Cold War era geopolitics dictated that the endgame for the Soviet Union was to extinguish that beacon. In the post-Cold War era, Putin\u2019s Russia has once again set its sights anew on the beacon.When Russian troops were identified as fomenting unrest in Crimea in February of this year, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin adamantly denied involvement. By April, Russia had illegally annexed Crimea, and Putin had come clean about the blatant Russian intrusion, admitting that Russian troops had been deployed to Crimea before the illegal annexation on March 21.Now, Putin\u2019s playbook is being put to in eastern Ukraine. Last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg certified a serious Russian military buildup in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. and our European allies have issued successive rounds of sanctions and warnings as Russian aggression has mounted and spurred violence and destruction in the region. However, I am stuck in Crimea.\u00a0 The U.S. lacks credibility objecting to Russia\u2019s aggression without a firm stance on Crimea.Congress must make a simple, declarative statement on Russia\u2019s illegal annexation of Crimea. The Crimea Annexation Non-recognition Act does just that. The legislation prohibits any federal department or agency from taking any action or extending any assistance that recognizes or implies recognition of the de jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters. It authorizes the President to waive such prohibitions if he determines that doing so is vital to U.S. national security interests.I remember that in the Cold War era, the U.S. had a policy of non-recognition regarding the Soviet Union\u2019s illegal annexation of the Baltic Republics. The U.S. recognized neither the de jure nor de facto sovereignty of the Soviet Union over the Baltic Republics. Our policy of non-recognition did not end in 1991 because it had become outdated or failed to recognize the facts on the ground. Although, I can attest that there were some in Washington who believed that the Baltic Republics would forever remain under the dominion of the Soviet Union. The Baltic people gained their independence in 1991 almost 50 years after the Soviet occupation began, and today, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia are NATO allies.This is an important moment for the U.S. and the rest of the world. We are not seeking a return to Cold War brinksmanship. But all of 20th century history tells us that bullies can never be satisfied by concession.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=703"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7080158684402704, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}