National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
Floor Speech
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition to the amendment.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment. I could support it but for the limitation clause, which is meant to cut support for Ukraine. Like all of these amendments, this is meant to undermine our support for Ukraine. I simply oppose it and urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, sometimes the devil is in the reading. The amendment sounds good, but at the end of the day, it cuts support.
Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, indeed, there should be a strategy of U.S. support to defeat war criminal Putin, and it should be clarified.
Sadly, we are in a worldwide conflict that we did not start. It was Putin, on February the 24, 2021, that invaded Ukraine. This began an active conflict and a worldwide competition that we are having, and that is with authoritarians, with Putin in control of the Russian Federation and abusing the people of Russia.
We have the authoritarians of Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party threatening the people of Taiwan. Clearly, we also have the regime in Tehran that pledges death to America, death to Israel, the vaporization of the people of Israel.
This is a worldwide conflict that needs to be addressed. We should have a strategy, and that is why I have introduced legislation, bipartisan, H. Res. 332, to define victory as restoration of Ukraine's 1991 internationally recognized borders. This is territory integrity for the people of Ukraine, NATO membership, as agreed to with the 2008 Bucharest Declaration, and justice and accountability for war crimes committed by Putin's murderous invaders.
The Biden administration, sadly, has not been clear with Congress. We can be clear because we have got to stand together. War criminal Putin needs to know that his violations of nine different agreements is simply not going to be allowed or recognized, that we should have, in the tradition of Ronald Reagan, peace through strength.
Mr. Chair, I urge that we have bipartisan support to encourage the President to clarify the American strategy for Ukrainian victory, which is peace through strength.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith).
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, which would eliminate the important extension of lend-lease authority for Ukraine included in the underlying bill.
As Ukraine continues its counteroffensive against Russia's brutal, unprovoked war of aggression, we must continue doing everything we can with our allies and partners in support; not just for the future of Ukraine and its people, but for democracies and free people across the world opposing brutal autocrats like Putin.
The lend-lease authority this bill extends is one of the many tools the administration has at its disposal to support Ukraine in its courageous efforts with critical weapons and defense capabilities.
This authority is one which has bipartisan support, not just in committee by virtue of the extension being included in the bill, but by way of bicameral, bipartisan passage in strong support roughly 10 months ago. It was a Republican bill led by Senator John Cornyn, S. 3522, which provided for lend-lease authority for Ukraine that passed by an overwhelming bipartisan margin, 417-10 in favor, including nearly 200 Republicans.
I call on Members to recognize the importance of ensuring Ukraine has the tools and capabilities it needs to defend itself, defeat Russia, and preserve its independence and sovereignty.
Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, it is so important with lend-lease that we make every effort to provide the people of Ukraine, who are fighting so valiantly with equipment. Many of us thought that they simply couldn't resist, but they are. They are resisting because they are getting the equipment. The quickest way to get the equipment is through lend-lease.
I am very grateful that last year, as has already been identified, we voted here in Congress 417-10 to provide for the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. It provides for great accountability.
Ironically, I have actually seen success of lend-lease. I was in St. Petersburg, Russia, to place a wreath at the world's largest open cemetery for the victims of the siege of Leningrad. The only reason that the Russians were successful in stopping Hitler was because the equipment was provided by the United States through lend-lease. It is now ironic that we need to be providing lend-lease equipment to Ukraine to stop war criminal Putin.
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?
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Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith).
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