Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, which would have our Nation turn its back on the brave people of Ukraine in their greatest hour of need by cutting off all military assistance.

As we stand here today, Russia's illegal invasion, which is now in its fourth year, is intensifying to the highest levels of the war, despite all of the oily, phony, happy talk coming from Vladimir Putin about seeking peace.

On Saturday, Russia launched the largest drone assault of the war, with 805 drones and 13 cruise missiles, killing 5 people and hitting the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The Tuesday before, a glide bomb killed 23 Ukrainians. Just last night, Russian and Belarusian drones made 19 hits in sovereign Polish airspace, scrambling NATO F-35s and F- 16s to fend off civilian casualties.

It was Ukraine's air force that alerted their neighbors in Poland to these blatantly illegal incursions, demonstrating Ukraine's commitment to protecting not only their own population but the rest of Europe.

If this amendment were to pass, it would cripple not only Ukraine's legal right to defend itself but also our NATO Treaty allies.

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