Hoyer: Let Us Show Putin What Happens When Democracy is Attacked
“Even though America was not at war, we made a strategic and moral determination that we must help Britain defend itself against fascism. To do that, we set up the
Lend-Lease program, which cut through red tape and enabled critical American military aid to reach our allies quickly so they could win the battle of Britain, hold back the forces of fascism, and begin a counter-offensive in North Africa. Lend-Lease established America as what President Franklin Roosevelt called ‘the great arsenal of democracy.’“Today, the battle for democracy is taking place in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are the ones engaged in combat directly to repel Vladimir Putin’s criminal and unprovoked invasion. But they are not alone in this fight. Already, the Biden-Harris Administration and our allies have sent billions of dollars’ worth of lethal military aid to help Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s unlawful and immoral aggression. Putin meant for the battle of Kyiv to last days and see Ukraine’s democratic government overthrown and a ‘quisling’ regime installed.
“The battle of Kyiv, however, was won by the forces of freedom, thanks to the extraordinary heroism of Kyiv’s defenders and the anti-tank weapons and other equipment supplied by America and our NATO allies. Now, with the war raging in Ukraine’s east, we are rapidly sending additional arms to the Ukrainians that will help them hold the line against Russian forces and engage in the kind of counter-offensives that will defeat Russia’s invasion. As
I told the Danish Foreign Policy Society when I was visiting with our allies earlier this month, the invasion of Ukraine must end in a strategic defeat for Putin.“Anything less would send a dangerous signal to other dictators around the world that wars of aggression could yield net gains. America and our allies must ensure that the only thing Putin gains from his invasion of Ukraine is a hard lesson learned through bitter defeat and loss. The Lend-Lease bill we will pass today is a bipartisan expression of the
House’s support for Ukraine and the continued provision of the lethal arms it requires to finish the job.“I want to thank Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Ranking Member Michael McCaul and the
Members and staff on the Foreign Affairs Committee for their work on this bill. The Senate passed this legislation unanimously earlier this month. Once this legislation is enacted, the Biden-Harris Administration will have another tool to ensure that military aid reaches Ukraine quickly and efficiently so it can be deployed to the front lines and defend democracy.“The White House has already requested additional funding for military and humanitarian aid, and the House will stand ready to take action once there is agreement on a path forward. In the meantime, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. Let us show Vladimir Putin what happens when democracy is attacked. Let us show him our unity and defiance. Let him and other dictators know once again that America is the ‘great arsenal of democracy’ and that Ukraine does not stand alone. Vote ‘yes.’
