the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: thank you very much, madam chairwoman. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: madam chairwoman, i rise in support of h.r. 8035, the ukraine security supplemental appropriations act. as well as the other two national security supplemental bills and the fourth bill that

is full of strong conservative policy priorities. as we stand here today, a strategic military troika of evil sits over the horizon, marching towards the destruction of the values that we and our democratic allies hold so dear. we can either turn our heads away and hope to appease this great evil, or we can stand with our allies and confront this nefarious scourge. history has taught us that appeasement does not work. and it was attempted not that long ago through the failed obama-clinton reset with the communist k.g.b. thug putin. that administration believed that putin could be satiated with georgia and crimea. they were wrong. and today putin's appetite has only grown. now he wants all of ukraine.

tomorrow, mull dovinga, the baltics, poland? madam chair, history repeats itself. i'm reminded that in 1947 congress provided military and economic support for greece and turkiye, keeping them out of the hands of the soviet union. and today this congress has the chance to do the same. by supporting these bills that confront the troika and fully fund our security commitments to support israel, taiwan and ukraine, which are confronting existential challenges to their very existence. the only way to stand up to putin and others like him in the words of ronald reagan is peace through strength. that is why -- that is what every member voting yes on these bills is standing for today. this bill supports that principle. 2/3 of which will be spent here

at home through investments in the u.s. defense industrial base to replenish our military equipment. the supplemental also provides critical security assistance to help ensure that ukraine has the training and weapons it needs to stop putin, such as traditional artillery round and air defense systems -- rounds and air defense systems. please take note of this. this bill requires a clear strategy from the administration, that defines and prioritizes u.s. national security interests in ukraine. it also includes unprecedented oversight and accountability requirements, including robust funding for our inspector general and end-use monitoring of u.s. defense transfers. also, economic assistance to ukraine is subject to extensive, extensive burden sharing and transparency requirements, including the unprecedented cost matching by our european and other allies.

madam chair, in addition for the first time ever this bill requires that the funding we provide to ukraine for economic assistance be subject to repayment to the united states of america. in sum, madam chairwoman, this is a critical bill that directly supports the national security interests of the united states and i urge a strong yes vote and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: madam chair, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. delauro: madam chair, i rise in strong support of the ukraine security supplemental appropriations act. this provides ukraine with desperately needed aid and munitions to fight back against tyranny, against putin's tyranny. vladimir putin's agreed, aggression and unyielding pursuit of power have led to

grievous loss of life and humanitarian devastation. the cruelty against innocent civilians at the hands of putin and his cronies is devastating. and we know very well that russia's invasion is not only a threat to ukraine's physical security but also a threat to the very core of ukrainian and global democracy. putin is betting that he cannot last -- that he can outlast the will and determination of ukraine, the united states and other western allies. some in this body seem inclined to prove him right. we must prove him definitively wrong. it is completely misguided, it's an affront to our nation's history and our heritage to suggest that we would put -- be putting america first by

retreating from the world stage. we put america first by demonstrating the power of american leadership, that we have the strength and the resolve and the heart to fight for the most vulnerable people, protect their freedom and preserve their dignity. this bill will provide $14 billion for the training, equipment, weapons, logistics support, intelligence and other supplies and resources to support ukraine's military. ... it will provide nearly the same amount for us, the united states, to replenish our own equipment stocks. it also provides $9.5 billion in forgivable loans to support the ukrainian economy. and $20.5 billion for the u.s. armed forces to assist in ukraine with mission support, intelligence support, pay, equipment, and other resources.

if ukraine does not receive this support, which it requires and needs to defeat russia's outrageous assault on its sovereign territory, the legacy of this congress will be the appeasement of a dictator. the struck -- destruction of an allied nation. and a fractured europe. gone will be the postwar order that has kept europe free and prosperous, gone will be our credibility in the eyes of our allies and our adversaries, and gone will be the america that promised to stand up for freedom, democracy, and human rights wherever they are threatened or wherever they are under attack. our allies are facing existential threats and our friends and foes around the world are watching. waiting. to see how america will respond. vladimir putin is watching. our allies in nato and across

europe are watching. what course will america take? we must stop putin in his tracks right now. the world must see our resolve. we need to support ukraine. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from connecticut reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i would now like to yield one minute to the gentleman from ohio, chairman of the permanent select committee, mr. turner, for one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. turner: thank you. i want to thank the speaker for bringing this bill to the floor. this bill will have overwhelming support on this house floor today. when people ask why we should

support ukraine, i like to remind them of president xi of china's troip russia last year. president xi stood next to vladimir putin, he had an open mike and he said, change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years. and we are driving this change together. the we is vladimir putin and president xi and the 100 year we know what that is. that's world war i and world war ii. they themselves stood together and articulated that this is a battle between authoritarianism and democracy and we must stand for democracy and against authoritarianism. according to the kiehl institute for the world economy, our european allies have committed to giving more than $60 billion in aid, while the u.s. has given roughly $42 billion. i ask that the report be entered into the record. the chair: without objection. the gentleman's time has ex-niempled gentleman from florida reserves. the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: i yield one minute

to the gentlewoman from california, the distinguished speaker emerita, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman vek -- the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you. i thank the distinguished ranking member of the appropriations committee for yielding but also for her leadership in bringing this to the floor. i join mr. turner and others in saluting the speaker as well as our leader, mr. jeffries, for making this important legislation possible. i associate myself with everything that's been said already about ukraine but i want to just focus on one particular area. two years ago, almost two eke -- two years ago and almost two weeks ago i leld the first high level delegation to kyiv we saw the danger of the russians. let me tell you what's heartbreaking about it. vladimir putin has instructed his troops to use rape, kidnapping and murder in front of family members as a weapon of war to demoralize the people of

ukraine. i hope that our colleagues will choose democracy and decency rather than autocracy and evil. because i fear that if you choose the putin route you will have blood on your hands. blood of the children, blood of their mothers, raped in front of their parent, raped in front of their children. i urge an aye vote on this and all the other bills before us today. thank you, madam speaker. the chair: the gentlewoman's time has ex-niempled gentlewoman from connecticut reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i yield the gentleman from north carolina, a member of the appropriations committee, mr. edwards, one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. edwards: ronald reagan said, democracy is worth dying for because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. madam chair that's but one of the reasons i rise today in support of h.r. 8035.

at this moment, the world is looking to america for leadership and asking, do we still stand behind our belief in democracy, and are we the world power that we acclaim? at this moment, we have the opportunity to stand for democracy and for world order with no drop of blood shed by american troops. without our help, a democracy is certain to fall to a murderous, marks cyst, socialist dictator. i recently toured ukraine my eyes have witnessed the rem nans of the barbaric, unadulterated terrorism that's taking place there and my ears have heard the numerous testimonies of the unthinkable acts by the russian army. putin, through his words and his actions, have made clear that our world security, our nation's security is at risk. ronald reagan also said, there is sin and evil in the world and we are enp joined by scripture

and the lord jesus to oppose it with all our might. let's oppose this evil. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: madam chair, i yield one minute to the gentleman from new york america distinguished democratic leader, mr. jeffries. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. jeffries: thank you, madam speaker. i also thank the distinguished gentlelady from the great state of connecticut for yielding and for her extraordinary leadership throughout this process. i want to thank speaker emery tay -- emerita pelosi, all the members of the house democratic caucus, for steadfastly standing behind america's national security priorities to get us to this point. madam speaker, i rise today in strong support of the legislative package that is before the congress.

for months, the national security priorities of the american people had been obstructed by pro-putin extremists. determined to let russia win. a bipartisan coalition of democrats and republicans has risen up to work together and ensure that we are getting the national security legislation important to the american people over the finish line. house democrats have risen to the occasion. president joe biden has risen to the occasion. traditional conservatives, led by speaker mike johnson, have risen to the occasion. we have a responsibility not as democrats or republicans but as americans to do what is necessary, to defend democracy,

wherever it is at risk, and the best interests of the free world. that is what this legislation represents. we have a responsibility to push back against tyranny. we have a responsibility to push back against totalitarianism. we have a responsibility to push back against terror. and we have a responsibility to stand with our democratic allies throughout the world. israel is a democratic ally. ukraine is a democratic ally. south korea is a democratic ally. taiwan is a democratic ally. japan is a democratic ally. we have a responsibility to stand with our democratic allies throughout the world. we also have a responsibility to push back against our aderer

shares. russia is not our friend. the chinese communist party is not our friend. there's a special relationship that exists between the united states and israel. it's a relationship that is anchored in shared values and shared interests. our commitment to israel's security is ironclad. israel has a right to exist. as a jewish and democratic state. and safe haven for the jewish people who have faced centuries of persecution throughout the years. the events of october 7 made clear that hamas must be decisively defeated. for the good of israel. for the good of the palestinian people. for the good of peace in the middle east. for the good of the free world. hamas must be decisively defeated.

at the same time, there are other urgent priorities. we must do everything possible to make sure that we are freeing the hostages. so they can safely return to their families and do everything possible to surge humanitarian assistance into gaza so we can help out palestinian civilians who are in harm's way through no fault of their own. we must surge in food. surge in medicine. surge in humanitarian assistance. that is what this package will help accomplish. with more than $9 billion in humanitarian assistance. the events of october 7 and the suffering of palestinian civilians in the theater of war are heartbreaking. any person of good will should

come to the conclusion that we have to find a way to achieve a just and lasting peace. between israel and the palestinian people. and the only way for that to happen is for us to truly commit to a two-state solution. when the moment presents itself. with a safe and secure israel living side-by-side in peace and prosperity with a demilitarized palestinian state that provides dignity and self-determination for the palestinian people. let us recommit. to accomplishing that objective. the humanitarian assistance in this legislative package will also allow the united states to be there to support people who are suffering all across the world. including millions in haiti and

millions in the sudan. dealing with famine and starvation. in a war-torn environment. this legislation of course will allow us to stand with our allies in the done pacific. -- in the indo-pacific. in the face of continued aggression from the chinese communist party. to make sure that freedom and democracy and these values all across the world will continue to be triumphant. this legislation will allow us to support the bravery and the courage of the ukrainian people. who against all odds continue to stand for what we as americans believe in.

february of 2022, we were told that ukraine would likely fall in a week. and that russian troops would be in kyiv in a week. but the bravery, the courage, the resilience of ukrainian people in the face of the most powerful military in europe has proven to be consequential in partnership with american support and that of our nato allies. but the ukrainian people have taught us something. that in the face of an incredible military apparatus that they were confronting, against all odds, that when a people believe in freedom or liberty or democracy, that can overcome even the mightiest of militaries. so we've seen them, despite the

prediction that they would fall in a week, inflict more than 300,000 casualties on the russian military. significant portions of the russian navy wiped out. in the black see. more than half the territory that had initially been seized by the russian military recaptured by ukraine. against all odds. but the pro-putin extremism that has stopped legislation coming to the floor risks all of the progress that has been made, which is why it so essential to do what is necessary to stand with the ukrainian people. let me close with this observation, this is a moment to choose, this is a moment to choose. you can choose democracy or

autocracy. we can choose freedom or tyranny. we can choose truth or propaganda. we can choose ukraine or russia. we can choose a democratic ally or a sworn enemy. this is the time to choose. the american people have stood on the side of democracy and freedom and truth which is why we must stand on the side of the ukrainian people. we will stand with the ukrainian people today. we will stand with the ukrainian people tomorrow. we will stand with the ukrainian people until victory is won. the chair: the chair will remind all persons in the gallery that they are here as guests of the house and any manifestation of

approval or disapproval of the proceedings is in violation of the rules of the house. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida, mr. waltz. mr. waltz: my colleagues and i have led the charge in stopping putin in biden's tee little too late strategy. we have asked for four simple things. a strategy to get out of us the stale mate and protect the u.s. border, real burden sharings with the european and smart energy policy. we have gotten none of that, mr. speaker. yet 2 1/2 years into this war we don't know what success is looking like, is it crima or hold what you got? we don't know because president biden won't tell us and the american people. we must close the u.s. border and defend it as a matter of preliminary. it is a matter of priorities.

we hear the e.u. is doing what they can. they can't do more because only 11 out of 31 are contributing the bare minimum to its defense. if they don't do it now, when will we. putin's war machine. i can no longer in good conscience to give a blank check behind bad policy. we can't afford it anymore. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, who has been courageous in her struggle to support the ukrainian people. and we thank you. ms. kaptur: i thank the distinguished ranking member of the full committee for yielding

me the time and rise to support liberty for ukraine. let us defeat the spider web of tyranny between putin's regime, iran, china and north korea. we see their evil and weaponry. ukraine does not ask us to fight for her, only to arm her soldiers to push russia back inside its own borders. ukraine soldiers have recaptured half its stolen territory, arm them to finish the job. for those who may naively think america can sit on the sidelines and seek isolation, please know this. if you take no interest in foreign affairs, foreign affairs will find you. recall pearl harbor, december 7, 1941, 83 years ago, the united states caught in a stupor of isolationism, closed its eyes as the rest of the world fed into deep conflict. no killing field on earth like

ukraine. millions upon millions upon millions of innocent people have decide at the hands of dictators, leanin, stalin and putin. if he can conquer ukraine, he will knoll stop there. support from the american pell will ensure victory for ukraine with the free world girding liberty shield. know the .et that died two centuries ago like alex navalny died in a gassy russian. quote, the time is near when on ukraine's plane a shack will folk wilburs its chain. lest it be your children and

touched by your toiled hardend hands. ukrainian glory shall revive. today is that day. support liberty for ukraine. defeat russian tyranny. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i yield to the gentleman from alabama, chairman of the armed services committee, mr. rogers, for one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: i rise in support of the supplementals. we completed our posture review hearings with our combatant chanders. each of them raised concerns about china, russia, iran and north korea are working together in a new action is of -- axis of evil to undermine our national security. nowhere is more apparent than in

ukraine. they are eagerly aiding and abetting putin's invasion of ukraine because a russian victory there will undercut america's credibility and deterrence and leave our allies exposed. a russian victory will control taiwan, south korea and ultimately the united states in a new and in fatal ways. i fear putin will use strich try to invade eastern europe. we can't let that happen. we must restore american deterrence. that starts bypassing these four national security supplementals. the chair: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. ms. lee: i thank the distinguished ranking member for yielding and for her tremendous

leadership on global peace and security issues in this house. thank you. mr. chairman, i rise in strong support of h.r. 8035. this bill provides nearly $10 billion in economic assistance for you contain and surrounding countries with nearly $8 billion indirect budget support. when i visited ukraine in 2019 i immediately recognized the love of the ukrainian people for their country and democracy. since the war broke out i met with ukrainians in the region and i was with speaker pelosi during visit and i met and heard firsthand the dire situations that they face in this russian aggression. i talked with civil society organizations funded by the united states who is facing danger and violence and supporting refugees, vulnerable people and children. i was moved by their stories and commitment. the united states must support these brave ukrainians to

protect their sovereignty because putin will not stop until ukraine's democracy is dismantled and he will not stop with ukraine. as ranking member of the state and foreign operations subcommittee, i am proud we are considering other significant investments in the united states global leadership today particularly the $9 billion humanitarian assistance. we are facing historic challenges of hunger, displacement and conflict across the globe. i was in chad, one of the poorest countries in the world. thousands of receive few dpees are fleeing the horrific war in sudan. they are in dire need of food. these resources will enable the united states not to just respond to the humanitarian aids but the quieter conflicts that are destroying peoples' lives such in distance and haiti.

support the ukrainian people. the chair: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from connecticut reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i recognize mr. self. mr. self: i rise in opposition to the ukrainian supplemental appropriations act. this war is not economically speaking even a far fight. the gross domestic product of the european union is nine times that of russia's. their population is three times that of russia's. the european union can do more. if the united states continues to fund this effort, the e.u. will not muster the political will to do what they should. yes, russia is a strategicic adversary to america and bigger threat to our europeanian

allies. they are not doing the required 2% of g.d.p. europe must act with urgency. we hurt about churchill and chamberlain. they are both british. if great britain and europe as a whole done more with austria austria. and put border security ahead of ukraine and i yield become. the chair: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: i yield two minutes to the ranking member of the defense subcommittee, ms. mccollum. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. mccollum: it has been six months since president biden since he sent the supplemental. two months since the house is taking up. putin has failed to release

thousands of ukrainian children kidnapped and continues to murder ukrainian citizens on a daily basis. there is a severe shortage of ammunition to protect their citizens and. why? this house has remained silent. that changes today. we will pass legislation and provide security and economic assistance to ukraine. and replenish the stock. and join and show the baltic nations romania and poland and we stand with them. together, we will support the ukrainian people and fight for freedom. and make it clear that america will always stand up for democracy here at home and around the world. i urge my colleagues to support these bills. and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from florida is

recognized. mr. diaz-balart: i yield to mr. flood for one minute. mr. flood: i rise in support of the supplemental for ukraine. less than 100 years ago, joseph stalin starved millions of ukrainians to death. putin's russia is stopping at nothing. they have used ukrainian civilians as human shields and chitted horrible acts of sexual violence and abducted tens of thousands of ukrainian children. the history of atrocities committed by tyrants against ukraine is a stark reminder of the moral duty we have to stand with our friends and allies against tyranny and opposition. for those who don't think what is happening in ukraine has anything to do with us, putin just doesn't want parts of ukraine but end the post-world war ii order that has underpinpointed freedom in europe and united states and

beyond. this package is critical for ukraine so we can beat back the reincarnation of what president reagan called the evil empire. join me in supporting this and i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois ranking member of the transportation and housing and urban development co-chair of the ukrainian caucus, mr. quigley. mr. quigley: just back from a third trip to ukraine and we saw evidence of putin war crimes, mass graves, evidence of torture, religious persecution, kidnapping of children. reminds us that throughout our history in moments like this, our country has been called to act and it did. called to stand up in the fight for freedom and face of tyranny and be the arsenal of democracy. in recent months we have not met this challenge.

it has been said it is never too late to do the right thing, well, we are coming really close as we have been handcuffed by extremists. the pipeline to ukraine is almost empty. should we now fail to send additional aid, ukraine will lose this war and in putin's eyes just the beginning of its efforts to reconstitute the soviet union. this is not just the fate of democracy but possibility of drawing our own country into war. it is important that we heed the voices from the past from president reagan as he espoused the reagan doctrine that we will defend our friends and allies. from president kennedy saying we shall pay any price and bear any burden to ensure the survival and success of liberty and last inaugural, f.d.r. we have learned that we cannot live alone at peace. that our well-being is dependent

on the nations far away. i yield back. . . . the chair: the gentlewoman from connecticut reserves. the gentleman from florida mr. diaz-balart: i would like to yield one minute to the gentleman from florida, chief gimenez. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gimenez: for years ukraine has been fighting against vladimir putin and russia. ukraine is running out of time, bullets, and arms necessary to defeat russia. this supplemental will allow ukraine to counter russia with new and advanced aid. it will also help replenish u.s. stocks and facilities. the u.s. is seen as the beacon of hope across the glob and our enemies are watching our actions closely today. iran, north korea, even cuba,

line up behind putin, it's time to do the same for our friend and allies. when i was young my family fled cuba. i know the realities of this. the ukrainian people are asking for help to fight for the same freedom is there a cost for freedom? can you put a pies tag on it? today is a chance to bolster our international reputation as a faithful ally and prove we will not falter under pressure. this is an opportunity to help our allies and discourage our adversaries. i urge support and yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. delauro: i am prepared to close, i reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: i also reserve at this time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. mr. diaz-balart: i am ready to

close, mr. chairman if the gentlewoman is. the chair: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: mr. chairman, this needs to be a proud moment for all of us. this country this great united states of america, has always led, has always take then high ground and the moral responsibility to do the right thing. to support a nation which has only asked us to help them maintain their sovereignty, maintain democracy, and let them alie with us in the united states.

the speaker of this house has come out in support of aid to ukraine he said, and i quote, history judges us for what we do. that is a critical time in the world, on the world stage. and the speaker continued, i would rather send bullets to ukraine than american boys. we need to send military equipment, arms, what ukraine needs to defeat an aggressor who has -- is responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians. we have a moment today to say no to tyranny. we have a moment to take back the moral high ground for the united states and we do not walk

from an ally we do not walk away from freedom we do not walk away from human rights. we do not walk away from democracy. that is not the united states of america. winston churchill once said, success is not final. failure is not fatal. this is the courage to continue that counts. we know of no nation today who has had the courage to continue as ukraine has. and the united states needs to have the courage to stand up and to help them continue when it counts. and defeat a tyrant and autocrat whose relish for power knows no bounds. it is our moral responsibility.

today we need to stand with ukraine. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman has yielded back. mr. diaz-balart: we may be reaching an inflection point in this war if the thug putin were to win it would be a disaster for our national security, frankly on par with the biden administration's chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan. imagine how this outcome would embolden russia's key strategic ally, china. to undertake military coercion against taiwan. and the fateful consequences that would stem from that. i want to remind my colleagues that appeasement never works. harry truman and ronald reagan

both understood, as president reagan said, and i quote, we know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. it is then that tyrants are tempted. it is time to be resolute. let's heed the lessons of history and support this bill. finally, i want to thank speaker johnson for his principled leadership and his fortitude in moving forward with this bill. in the face of daunting obstacles. his resolve is a testament to his strength of character. i also want to thank chairman cole, ranking member delauro, for their leadership on this bill. i urge a strong yes vote. and with that, i yield back the remaining part of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields. all time for general debate has expire. pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. the amendment printed in part a of house report 118-466 shall be

considered as adopted and the bill as amended shall be considered as read. no further amendment to the bill as amended is in order except those printed in part b of house report 118-466. each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report by a member designated in the report. shall be considered read. shall be debate fcial the time specified in the report. equally divided and controlled by the proponent and opponent. shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to demand for division of the question. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 466. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? ms. spartz: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 118-466, offered by

ms. spartz of indiana. the chair: the gentlewoman from indiana, ms. spartz and a member opposed shall each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. ms. spartz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i have held a very principled position on ukraine and unfortunately, this position is not very shared with a lot of people in congress. unfrmt. we have the full choice about the saying that ukraine doesn't matter to ukraine or support ukraine with no question asked, with blank checks. both of these positions are not good in our national interest and both of these positions are not good in the interest of the people of ukraine. and unfortunately, this monopoly of narratives prevailing in our

government, in our society, and in congress. so my amendment is actually very simple and i know this is just -- we're doing this amendment just for the show and no one is going to put -- pass it on the floor. we still go with blank checks and slush funds and unfortunately this strategy failed the american people, president biden failed the american people. on the border. on national security. congress failed the american people on the border. on national security. president biden and president zelenskyy failed the ukrainian people. they were not ready before the war started. they didn't have good strategy when the war started. slow walk the aid. and really didn't fight and deter putin to go further. now we have a very significant war in europe. and i said, unfortunately, this supplemental doesn't just have lethal aid, it has other parts,

they will go further, unfortunately no one will be taking on amendment. because we have presentations and circuses but the decision is already made. my amendment is very simple. it just says we shouldn't have blank check and let president biden have presidential drawdowns increase from $100 million to $8 billion including loans from $4 billion to $8 billion. we generally give a true blank check to president biden of $16 billion. congress forgot, you know that we should do our job. shouldn't create loopholes for president is to be able to do what they want to do. this is our job to oversee these funds. so very simple amendment. this emergency that we created now go to the point where given billions of dollars, congress is not doing its job. we have the pow ore they have purse for a reason. so all it does, this amendment,

it eliminates section that increases, and it's a true blank check. because when we say that presidential brought down goes from $100 million to $8 billion almost or from $200 million to $400 million. we really don't even know what he's going to do. we hand do whatever he wants with that. and that is a big problem because this emergency, it's dangerous but also the problem we have right now that this -- in case of this emergency, you know, we actually don't have ability even to ask -- even to ask the questions. congress hasn't been asking the questions. that's why we have such a major catastrophe around the world. whether it's in the middle east. whether it's ukraine. that's why china, russia, and iran are moving and we're doing a lot of presentation with blank checks and slush funds and no policies. and so i would urge my colleagues to think maybe for a change and give this amendment consideration which i have a

very low expect itions and also with would consider it as asaid, supporting lethal aid with border security. unfortunately that didn't happen. and it's sad for me to see that we still don't take this war as serious as we should be because generally only $13.7 billion actually go to security assistance directly to ukraine from the $60 billion plus, another $billion slush fund. we're talking almost $70 billion plus another $8 billion of loans, whoever they go to. so we're talking about almost $80 billion. i have a problem with that. i reserve. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from connecticut seek recognition? ms. delauro: i claim time in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for five mines. ms. delawyer re: this war is an existential con applicant for ukraine. as important, it is a test for the united states. and united states leadership. one of the best tools we have to

get the ukrainians what they need is presidential drawdown authority. this allows the united states to send equipment from our stocks to the frontline in a matter of days. there isn't time to delay. this amendment would cut that thrt from $7.8 billion to $100 million. it ties our hands. and yes, it hamstrings the ukrainian military to do the job that they need to do to defeat putin. we all lose. if ukraine succumbs to putin's ambitions. and it will not stop there. putin, in 2016, asserted that russia's borders do not end, this is a quote, do not end anywhere. russian officials just this spring have threatened finland,

romania, armenia, estonia, lithuania, and moldova. removing the best tool that the united states has to exercise in terms of a moral clarity and responsibility. that we get -- we can move quickly to arm our allies would be a grave mistake. please vote no on this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlelady yielded back. mrs. spartz: how much time do i have remaining? the chair: 30 seconds. mrs. spartz: i want to highlight increasing blank check from $800 million to $1 billion. a blank check to president biden. purely blank check. and i hope my colleagues will support that.

we need to stop