Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Wilson from South Carolina, for his leadership on this effort. Of course, I have to thank my good friend, our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Greg Meeks, for his immense work for many weeks on trying to get this done and done in the right way.

I rise in support of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. We have to thank two essential people for this concept. Winston Churchill thought up the idea of lend-lease. He talked his essential partner in the very special transatlantic relationship, FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, into this concept. Roosevelt sold it to the Congress, and it is a real moment in history that we are back on this House floor supporting lend-lease.

Congress came together to arm Britain in the face of the blitz by the Nazis, but today, we find ourselves in a very similar situation with Putin systematically bombing and shelling the peaceful villages and cities of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people bravely defending their own sovereign land in the face of evil.

When I was in Romania 2 weeks ago, the Prime Minister there described their fighting spirit as: The Ukrainian people fight with lions' hearts.

This bill will expedite the resources needed for Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia's illegal, unwarranted, and brutal war in Ukraine.

In every single meeting with our Ukrainian friends, parliamentarians, ministers, citizens, and our own colleagues, the answer is: While they appreciate the American response and the response of 30 other nations, they need weapons, and they need them now.

In history, victory and defeat can come down to days and weeks, if not hours. There have been too many delays already in getting Ukraine the military equipment they need.

That is why I am pleased to see that we are enacting this Churchillian idea, born in World War II, a strategy now that will set the foundation for victory in this war and the President's authority to get the weapons to the brave Ukrainians fighting for their own independence and freedom.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill. I thank the Members who worked on it so diligently.

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