Announcement By the Acting Chair

Floor Speech

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield myself 1\1/2\ minutes.

Mr. Chair, the reality is that Ukraine needs these munitions. Until the West can meet the full demands of the war in Ukraine, these munitions will fill the gaps and ensure a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive and ensure that the Ukrainians are not defenseless.

The goal is to give Ukraine the tools it needs to end this war quickly. A protracted war will cost more lives and allow Putin to commit more war crimes.

Mr. Chair, I was in Bucha and stood where some of these crimes were committed. Ultimately, this amendment was not introduced out of concern for civilians. No. This amendment exists because a very few Members across the aisle don't seem to mind if the Russians win, and then we would see democracy fall and authoritarianism rise.

To ensure a Ukrainian victory, we must continue to make these very tough decisions that will end this war and ultimately save lives.

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment. As a 31-year Army veteran myself and a very grateful dad of four sons who served in Iraq, Egypt, and Afghanistan, I want to reestablish peace through strength as developed by President Ronald Reagan.

We must support Ukraine to end criminal Putin's war of aggression as quickly as possible and stop the carnage with Putin's mass murder of innocent civilians.

Putin's forces are bombing civilians, kidnapping children to Russia, raping and torturing, and have mined a nuclear plant and blown up a dam. In light of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, which is pitting Ukrainian defenders against dug-in Russian soldiers, cluster munitions are an effective new weapon for Ukraine's arsenal.

These weapons will be effective against fortified Russian trenches and concentrated troops of Putin's soldiers who are being sacrificed to death by Putin for his own personal gain of oil, money, and power.

The Wall Street Journal has editorialized that Biden is right on cluster bombs for Ukraine. Cluster bombs are an antipersonnel weapon that ejects multiple bomblets over a large area. They can be very effective to promote the Ukrainian cause.

Ukraine is not seeking to use these bombs against civilians. There is a moral distinction between Russia's aggression and Ukraine's use of cluster bombs for defense. Those best suited to make the tradeoff between risks are the Ukrainians whose lives are on the line every day.

Mr. Chair, I urge opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow).

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, we hear a lot about humanity here. Let's put the facts in front of that. The Ukrainians are firing as many artillery shells in 2 days as we produce in a month. They will run out. They will be defenseless.

If you are now suddenly worried about civilians, Mr. Chair, watch what Putin has already done: raped, murdered, and tortured innocent civilians, targeted civilians. If there are no artillery shells to defend them, then he will go unabated. Then you will see inhumanity that we have not seen since the Second World War.

Mr. Chair, vote against this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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