Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act.

The Biden administration, Congress, and the American people have been unflinching in our support for the people of Ukraine. Under desperate circumstances, the Ukrainian people have valiantly resisted Vladimir Putin's illegal, unjust, and unprovoked invasion of their country.

Today, the House of Representatives has another opportunity not only to stand with the people of Ukraine but to stand together with our fellow democracies against this authoritarian aggression by passing this supplemental.

As chair of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, I know how critical it is to continue our commitment to provide Ukraine with robust security assistance.

At the same time, we must provide the Department of Defense with additional tools to respond to the Russian aggression. That is why we have included $20.1 billion in this legislation, including $6 billion for the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative to provide equipment, weapons, and training to the Ukrainian military. We have included $9.1 billion to replenish stocks of the U.S. military equipment that has been donated to Ukraine.

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Germany and Poland and visit with our deployed servicemembers. Today, I am pleased that we have included flexibility for the Department of Defense to provide hardship pay for those deployed in the EUCOM region.

This legislation also includes funding for desperately needed humanitarian relief for Ukrainian families who have been displaced within Ukraine or have fled to neighboring nations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge our Republican colleagues to join us in a show of bipartisan unity. Let us stand together. Let us pass this bill. Let us defend democracies everywhere from Russian aggression.

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