Ukraine is the Scrimmage Line for Liberty

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCaul. Madam Speaker, We are witnessing the largest land invasion of Europe since the Second World War.

The similarities to Poland in 1939 are chilling.

Russia's unprovoked war of aggression has led to countless war crimes, the death of innocent civilians, and the mass deportation of Ukrainian Children.

Make no mistake, Putin's imperialist ambitions do not stop at the Ukrainian border. A loss in Ukraine could lead to a larger conflict in Europe.

The implications and fallout from this war could reach far beyond Ukraine's borders. Our adversaries are watching, and if Putin wins, it will embolden dictators and despots around the globe to advance their malign agendas and challenge U.S. interests.

No one has more to gain from a Russian victory than Chairman Xi, who is eyeing his own military invasion of Taiwan. If Putin is allowed to succeed, it will serve as a green light for Chairman Xi. And it will definitively show a failure in U.S. resolve to stand for freedom and democracy.

Ukraine today could be Taiwan tomorrow.

We must commit to success in Ukraine to demonstrate that the U.S. will not be intimidated or accept threats to our partners and allies.

If history has taught us anything, it is that weakness only invites aggression. As Winston Churchill famously said, ``an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.''

We need to give Ukraine the weapons they need to win, without delay. We need to tighten sanctions on the Putin regime and transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

Putin started this war, and Putin must pay.

We also need to address the growing national security threat at our Southern border.

The House is ready to move to support Ukraine, but the Senate Democrats have failed to work with Republicans and make any meaningful policy changes to address the crisis at our own border.

We are experiencing record numbers of illegal aliens daily. Over 2,000 migrants and counting have died trying to make the dangerous journey across the border in the last three fiscal years.

And 35 percent of women and children are sexually abused throughout their journey at the hands of brutal cartels.

And tragically, over the last two years, nearly 150,000 people died from fentanyl crossing the border from Mexico.

That is nearly triple the number of American deaths during the entire duration of the Vietnam War. And we only expect these deaths to continue to grow.

Put simply, the President and Secretary Mayorkas are aiding and abetting this crisis at our Southern border.

It is time for the White House and Senate Democrats to work with House Republicans to finally secure our border through meaningful policy changes, such as reinstating Remain in Mexico, and Asylum Cooperative Agreements.

Only after we secure our border and deal with the national security threats at home can we look abroad to assist Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

The world is watching, and history will judge how we respond.

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