Ukraine

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to deliver an important message directed to our European allies in Munich. I told our friends that leading Republicans are as committed as ever to American leadership and a robust transatlantic alliance.

I emphasized our resolve for helping Ukraine to defeat Russian aggression, not because of some vague moral obligation but because of what it means for America's own core national interests.

Letting Putin's brutality succeed would mean putting some of America's closest trading partners one border closer to a violent and revanchist authoritarian regime. It would mean emboldening Putin's ``friend without limits'' President Xi in Beijing to assert even more aggressive influence over on the other side of the world.

I spoke yesterday about how our allies recognized what is at stake in Ukraine and about how Europe's biggest economies have woken up from holidays from history and made serious commitments to helping Ukraine actually win.

For some perspective on this important progress, more than half of the Javelin anti-tank weapons Ukraine has received have come from countries other than the United States. In fact, we now rank 13th in terms of assistance as a percentage of GDP.

Even as America continues to provide critical assistance to Ukraine, some nations are digging even deeper into their own arsenals and making a much greater relative investment of support. Russian aggression has spurred our European allies to heightened vigilance and greater resolve. Here at home, the American people overwhelmingly share that resolve.

According to a recent survey, three in four Americans--three in four Americans--including big majorities in each party, think it is important to us, to the United States, that Ukraine win the war. A clear majority also supports sending U.S. military aid to Ukraine. And more generally, 85 percent of Americans say a strong U.S. military is essential to maintain peace and prosperity.

So the American people's view of our national security is really quite clear, but here in Washington, providing for the common defense remains our biggest and most pressing piece of unfinished business. President Biden's defense budget request is woefully inadequate, especially as we look at the growing military requirements to deter or defend against Chinese aggression.

Folks in Washington are using the threat of China to justify all sorts of other policies and initiatives, but the reality is, the primary area of geopolitical competition is part power.

This growing threat makes our work on funding America's Armed Forces especially important, but the process of setting the Senate's national security priorities begins with a long-overdue annual Defense authorization.

I am hopeful that the Democratic leader is taking the necessary steps to bringing the NDAA to the Senate floor next week. I am hopeful this legislation will receive the thorough amendment process that it deserves.

The sooner we deliver on the NDAA, the sooner we can deliver the robust hard-power investments our Armed Forces need to replenish stocks, support our allies and partners, and deter growing threats to American security all around the world.

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