Senator Cruz Reveals Biden Surrendered to Putin on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Four Days After Taking Office

On 12/18/2021, Senator Ted Cruz delivered a detailed floor speech laying out the timeline of how bipartisan sanctions had stopped the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in December 2019, how Putin resumed construction just four days after Biden took office, and why Biden’s waiver of those sanctions was “flagrantly lawless.” Cruz offered a deal to Senate Democrats: pass legislation mandating sanctions on Nord Stream 2, and he would lift his holds on dozens of Biden’s State and Treasury Department nominees.

”Flagrantly Lawless”

Cruz opened by accusing Biden of violating the law. “Joe Biden is being flagrantly lawless in that he is refusing to impose mandatory congressional sanctions passed by Congress in the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, also known as CATSA,” Cruz said. “CATSA passed Congress overwhelmingly. The vote was 98 to 2.”

“President Biden, and in particular the Department of Treasury, is refusing to implement the law,” Cruz continued. “I’ve spoken directly with Secretary Yellen. I’ve spoken directly with the Deputy Secretary of Treasury. The law is clear and unequivocal.”

The Timeline: Stopped in One Day, Resumed in Four

Cruz laid out a timeline he said was conclusive. He had authored bipartisan legislation with Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen imposing sanctions on Nord Stream 2. When President Trump signed the bill in December 2019, the pipeline was more than 90% complete.

“The argument then that was being pushed by Russian disinformation — and that sadly has been echoed by the Biden administration — was the pipeline can’t be stopped, it’s too late,” Cruz said. “We know that was Russian disinformation because it was conclusively disproven.”

“Putin stopped building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline the very day that the Cruz-Shaheen bipartisan sanctions were signed into law. Not the next day, not the next week. That day. We stopped the pipeline in its tracks,” Cruz said. “It was stopped for more than a year — for December of ‘19, for January, February, March, every month in 2020.”

Cruz then delivered the critical point: “When did Putin return to building this pipeline? The date is important. Putin returned to building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on January 24th, 2021. Four days after Joe Biden was sworn into office.”

“He did so because Joe Biden and his team had already conveyed weakness that they would not enforce U.S. sanctions law and that they would roll over and give Putin and Russia a generational geopolitical gift,” Cruz said.

The Deal

Cruz offered Democrats a trade. “There is a bill that I filed that imposes CATSA 228 sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG. Every Democrat in this chamber has supported sanctions on Nord Stream 2,” Cruz said.

“If the senator from Oregon will agree to my unanimous consent request and that bill passes the Senate, I will not object to this nominee,” Cruz offered. He would lift holds incrementally as the legislation moved forward: one nominee when the Senate passed it, another when the House passed it, and all remaining holds when Biden signed it into law.

The offer was rejected. Cruz had placed holds on 32 of Biden’s high-level State and Treasury Department nominees, blocking confirmations for months.

European Opposition to Nord Stream 2

Cruz noted that European allies opposed the pipeline. “The European Parliament voted on Nord Stream 2. The vote was roughly 500 to 50 against Nord Stream 2 because it makes our European allies subject to energy blackmail by Putin,” Cruz said.

He argued Biden’s deal to waive sanctions produced nothing of value. “The only thing the Biden White House got was goodwill from Angela Merkel, whose party was just defeated resoundingly this past weekend in the election,” Cruz said. Merkel was on her way out, and the incoming German government led by the Greens was “vocally opposed to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.”

“We’ve alienated the Ukrainians, we’ve alienated the Poles, we’ve alienated Eastern Europe,” Cruz added.

Still Time to Stop It

Even with the pipeline physically complete, Cruz argued it could still be blocked. “After the pipeline is physically complete, there are months of certifications required,” he explained. “The legislation that Congress passes on a bipartisan basis also imposes sanctions on any entity, any company that certifies the pipeline.”

“So we still have time to stop this,” Cruz said. “It would stop certification and it would leave it as a hunk of metal rather than an operating pipeline enriching Putin at the expense of Europe and America.”

State Department vs. White House

Cruz revealed that even Biden’s own State Department had opposed the decision. “Secretary of State Blinken and the State Department argued vociferously in the interagency process to sanction Nord Stream 2 AG,” Cruz said. “And it was the political operatives at the Biden White House that overrode the State Department. They should not have done so.”

Key Takeaways

• Cruz’s bipartisan sanctions stopped the Nord Stream 2 pipeline the day Trump signed them in December 2019; it remained dormant for over a year.
• Putin resumed construction on January 24, 2021 — four days after Biden took office — after the new administration signaled it would not enforce sanctions.
• Cruz offered to lift holds on 32 Biden nominees in exchange for passing legislation mandating Nord Stream 2 sanctions; Democrats rejected the deal.
• The European Parliament voted roughly 500-50 against Nord Stream 2; Biden’s only concession was “goodwill” from outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Cruz revealed that Secretary Blinken’s State Department had opposed the sanctions waiver but was overruled by Biden’s political operatives.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• Joe Biden is being flagrantly lawless in that he is refusing to impose mandatory congressional sanctions passed by Congress.
• Putin stopped building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline the very day that the Cruz-Shaheen bipartisan sanctions were signed into law. Not the next day, not the next week. That day.
• Putin returned to building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on January 24th, 2021. Four days after Joe Biden was sworn into office.
• The only thing the Biden White House got was goodwill from Angela Merkel, whose party was just defeated resoundingly.
• Secretary of State Blinken argued vociferously in the interagency process to sanction Nord Stream 2 AG, and it was the political operatives at the Biden White House that overrode the State Department.
• The objective is to stop this pipeline that strengthens Putin, weakens Europe, and weakens America.

Full transcript: 1881 words transcribed via Whisper AI.