{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=852A1F24-CA9A-4110-8956-073DE2A636BB", "Barrasso Questions Sec. Pompeo on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, Religious Freedom, Iran and China", "2020-07-30", "2020", "2020-07", "Republican", "House", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) questioned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, religious freedom, the Iranian arms embargo, and China's military aggression.\r\nPompeo testified at today's Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing.\r\nOn Nord Stream 2 Pipeline:\r\nWelcome back Mr. Secretary, good to see you again. I appreciated your comments, opening statement, specifically related to Nord Stream 2, and I wanted to ask a little more about that because we know energy security is essential to national security.\r\nNord Stream 2 threatens European energy security, increases Russian monopoly over the region. To me, this pipeline is a Russian trap.\r\nI strongly support your recent announcement aimed at stopping this dangerous pipeline.\r\nAs you know, Congress is working to quickly provide the administration with additional tools to prevent Nord Stream 2 from ever being completed.\r\nIn the last few weeks, both the Senate and House passed their own versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, includes new bipartisan Nord Stream 2 sanctions.\r\nCould you talk about the administration's commitment to opposing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and applying sanctions against those companies aiding in the completion of this Russian trap?\r\nClick here for video of Barrasso questioning Pompeo on Russian Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline.\r\nOn Iran Arms Embargo:\r\nMr. Secretary, I'd like to move now to the Iranian arms embargo.\r\nThe international arms embargo on Iran is set to expire October of this year.\r\nTo my great astonishment, we are having to persuade the international community of the importance of preventing Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terror, from purchasing advanced weapons.\r\nIt will dramatically increase the ability of Iran to arm terrorists, proxy groups across the region.\r\nWe've seen that more weapons will likely flow to Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah in Lebanon.\r\nDespite the terrible consequences, many experts believe that any extension of the Iranian arms embargo would be vetoed by Russia or by China.\r\nWhy would Russia and China want the Iran arms embargo to expire, and is the Chinese Communist Party really willing to betray global security in order to be Iran's arms dealer?\r\nClick here for video of Barrasso questioning Pompeo about Iran Arms Embargo.\r\nOn Religious Freedom:\r\nSam Brownback, a former member of this body, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, recently wrote, Humanity is why religious freedom will always win out against governments and non-state actors seeking to repress and control it.'\r\nBut we have seen around the world authoritarian regimes continuing to attempt to restrict religious freedoms and the rights of individuals.\r\nCould you discuss efforts the administration has taken to promote international religious freedoms?\r\nClick here for video of Barrasso questioning Pompeo about religious freedom.\r\nOn China Military Modernization:\r\nEarlier today, you called the Chinese Communist Party the central threat of our times.\r\nWe had your deputy here a couple of weeks ago, had a chance to talk about the issues related to China.\r\nTo me, they're working to expand their military capabilities to advance their global ambitions, they want to dominate globally.\r\nThe last few months we've seen them increase military aggression near Taiwan, the South China Sea, Japan.\r\nYou've seen incursions, what they've been doing in Hong Kong, what they've been doing at home.\r\nCan you talk about the recent confrontations by China and what that taught us about China's military ambitions, as well as their capabilities? Because when we go to secure briefings, we ask a lot about their capabilities, not just what they might do, but what they can do.\r\nClick here for video of Barrasso questioning Pompeo about China's military aggression.\r\n###", 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://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=852A1F24-CA9A-4110-8956-073DE2A636BB"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2852312065660954, "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"}