; Whereas Secretary Blinken pressed the Kremlin to accept an offer by the United States that would bring Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner home in July 2022; Whereas, in November 2022, Paul Whelan was unable to contact his family for more than a week, during which time Russian authorities claimed Whelan had been sent to the hospital; Whereas Russian authorities refused to release Paul Whelan as part of prisoner exchanges for Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner; Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Whelan's detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity ; and Whereas President Biden stated that his administration had “not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” and promised to keep negotiating in good faith for his release : Now, therefore, be it