Ukraine Support Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of H.R. 4278, the Ukraine Support Act.
Let me begin by thanking the chairman of our Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Royce, for his strong leadership on Ukraine. As always, he is working with us in a bipartisan and constructive manner on this very important and timely bill. I am very pleased to be the lead Democratic cosponsor. I would also like to thank my other Democratic and Republican colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee for their important contributions.
The United States has long been a steadfast supporter of a democratic, prosperous, and independent Ukraine, and with the people of Ukraine now in dire need of assistance and under imminent threat, there has never been a more critical moment to show our support.
President Putin's invasion of Crimea is a flagrant violation of international law and Russia's commitments to its neighbor. The phony and illegal referendum Putin orchestrated at the barrel of a gun has resulted in the first outright annexation of territory in Europe since the end of World War II. And now Putin is amassing troops on Ukraine's border, threatening to seize more Ukrainian territory and incite further violence and conflict.
Putin's destabilizing and dangerous moves threaten not only Ukraine, but other states in the region, including Moldova and Georgia and, indeed, all of Europe. The United States, our European partners, and the entire international community must take a stand against Putin's naked aggression.
This legislation reaffirms our strong support for the people of Ukraine at this critical time. It authorizes assistance for Ukraine as it attempts to right its struggling economy, increase energy security, strengthen civil society, and prepare for democratic elections this spring. It supports Ukraine's efforts to recover missing assets, to bolster the rule of law, and to professionalize its law enforcement. It supports additional broadcasting to Ukraine--and Chairman Royce has been a champion of that--and other countries in the region to counter the dangerous and hateful propaganda coming from the Kremlin and its media outlets. And it endorses the deployment of significant numbers of international monitors throughout Ukraine to help reduce tensions and ensure the security of all Ukrainians.
The legislation also sends a clear message to Putin and his cronies that their landgrab and reckless actions will have serious consequences. Specifically, it supplements the President's efforts to sanction those responsible for violating Ukraine's sovereignty and international integrity, looting Ukraine's economy, and violating human rights in Ukraine.
And here I would like to applaud President Obama for imposing measures which have already impacted Putin's inner circle, for taking the lead in suspending Russia's participation in the G8, and for rallying support and coordinating actions with our European partners and others throughout the world.
Finally, the bill expresses support for continuing U.S. security assistance to Ukraine and reaffirms our commitment to the security of NATO, the security of our NATO partners in Eastern and Central Europe.
Mr. Speaker, the coming days, weeks, and months will be very difficult for Ukraine. Its leaders must continue the process of reconciliation and reach out to all regions of the country. They must scrupulously respect minority and human rights, and they must make the hard decisions and take the difficult steps that will return their country to political and economic health. And they must do all of this in the face of opposition and likely provocations from Putin and his cronies.
But as they do so, they and the people of Ukraine should know that they have our support. By passing this bill, we are making clear that the United States stands with Ukraine, that we are committed to helping its people build a more democratic, prosperous, secure, and just state for themselves and their children.
You know, if we continue to work with Ukraine and continue to help Ukraine and turn them westward, rather than eastward, then Putin will have lost. He may have a landgrab in Crimea, but he will lose the rest of Ukraine. And we should be doing everything possible to make sure that our European allies are working closely with Ukraine, offering them the incentives they need so that they will look westward and not eastward.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.
Finally, I want to say, foreign policy should be bipartisan whenever possible. I think this is bipartisanship as its best.
We send a clear message to the people of Ukraine that the United States stands with them. It is not a Republican or a Democratic stand. It is an American stand, and I am proud to be part of it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
What we are doing this morning is the Congress at its best. What we are doing this morning is standing up to a bully and telling him that his actions will not stand. What we are doing is saying that in the 21st century it is no longer acceptable for dictators to invade other countries.
What we are saying to the people of Ukraine is that we stand behind you, we are with you, we haven't forgotten you, and we are going to do everything possible to make you whole again. We are going to do everything possible to let you know the West wants to partner with you. We are going to do everything possible to stand up for freedom and democracy with you.
I think that is a very noble cause. It is not pie in the sky. No one is advocating a war with boots on the ground against Russia, but we are advocating that there have to be some standards in the world.
If we let Putin get away with this, then it sends a green light to Putin that he can continue to do this and to every other despot and dictator around the world that they can do whatever they like and the world is just indifferent or too afraid to act.
I think this is an opportunity, and I think that this is a time when one day we will be able to say to our grandchildren that we acted together.
I want to again commend Chairman Royce for working with me in a bipartisan fashion. We will be going to Ukraine together in a few short weeks to show the Ukrainian people that America stands with them.
I urge my colleagues again to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, let me, again, say what a pleasure it is to work with Chairman Royce on a bipartisan basis. You can see, again, strong bipartisan support for this bill.
Ms. Kaptur didn't mention that she was cochair of the Ukrainian Caucus. We have Members on both sides of the aisle all standing together to say the United States stands with the people of Ukraine. Please vote ``yes.''
I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source