Ukraine is the Scrimmage Line for Liberty

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, shortly after the war in Ukraine began, I attended our annual pilgrimage commemorating Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, along with Steny Hoyer. Just before our departure to return to Washington, I was approached by one of our honored foot soldiers of that march from Selma to Montgomery who asked to have a private word with me. I assumed she wanted to discuss what we might or might not be doing about voting rights which is always the major topic of that event. Instead, she shared her serious concerns about the war in Ukraine and stressed that it was Congress' responsibility to act in defense of democracy at home and abroad.

I rise today to bring the concerns of that veteran of the war against voting suppression to the attention of this body. That longtime defender of our democracy here at home said to me that if we fail to do that which is necessary to stop Putin in Ukraine, then we may soon find ourselves in need of defending our homeland.

The failure to honor President Biden's supplemental request is endangering the safety and security of our closest allies. We need to do the right thing for freedom, for democracy, and for international stability before time runs out.

The American people know that for the sake of our democracy we can't let Putin win. This delay in funding is a gift to Putin, and every day that goes by without action strengthens his position and the resolve of other autocrats.

History teaches us that there are global consequences when we allow dictators and would-be dictators to infringe on freedoms without opposition. Today the front line is Ukraine. Tomorrow it could be one of our NATO allies requiring a higher price in treasure and American lives.

We made a commitment to our friends in Israel also. We must support their efforts to eradicate Hamas, as well as provide necessary humanitarian assistance to the innocent Palestinians impacted by this conflict. This package will help accelerate efforts to ensure Israel's security and create space for stability in the region so we can begin, in earnest, the long process towards the two-state solution when this conflict ends. None of this will or can be possible until we honor our commitments to our allies.

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