Rep. Susie Lee Statement on President Zelenskyy’s Address to Congress
WASHINGTON – Rep. Susie Lee released the following statement in response to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Congress:
"This morning, President Zelenskyy delivered a dire message to Congress. While the Ukrainians are bravely fighting for their country, they need our help. They need it now. Every day, innocent civilians are suffering and being killed as Putin's inhumane invasion continues. Help is on the way, but we must do more. I was proud to vote to send military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine last week, and I applaud President Biden for swiftly signing that legislation into law.
"We've levied unprecedented sanctions against Russia, but we can't let up now. We must continue to pummel Russia with the toughest of sanctions in order to block Putin's access to capital to fund this unjust war. That's why I joined my colleagues – Republicans and Democrats in the House and in the Senate – to introduce the Stop Russian GOLD Act to cut off Putin's access to Russian gold. We must use every tool we have to cut off funding for Putin's bloody, anti-democratic war against the sovereign nation of Ukraine. I urge House and Senate leadership to bring this bill to a vote as soon as possible. I also support the effort to further constrain the Russian government's access to the global economy by revoking its permanent normal trade relations.
"President Zelenskyy made it clear: if Ukraine is to defend itself against Russia's military might, we must help arm Ukraine with the military equipment they need to defend themselves. That includes anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, small arms, ammunition, tactical gear, meals, and medical kits. But it also includes fighter jets and other defensive technologies capable of repelling Russian tanks and artillery. We must act decisively to ensure Ukraine has the equipment it needs to fend off this brutal Russian invasion. That's why I joined more than 40 of my colleagues in urging the Administration to send fighter jets to Ukraine. The Administration must find a way for all necessary equipment to reach the Ukrainians – and we must do it quickly."
Background:
Earlier this week, Rep. Lee announced the introduction of the Stop Russian GOLD Act, a bipartisan bill to prevent Russia's Central Bank from using its extensive gold reserves to fund its unprovoked war against Ukraine. Rep. Lee was joined in introducing this legislation by U.S. Reps. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Peter Meijer (MI-03), Joe Wilson (SC-02), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). Read more here.
Rep. Lee has supported severe sanctions on Russia, voting to ban U.S. imports of Russian oil. At the same time, Rep. Lee has been an advocate for robust aid for Ukraine, voting to send $13 million in aid to Ukraine as part of the government funding package last week.
Rep. Lee has repeatedly called for more military aid for Ukraine, joining more than 40 of her colleagues in calling for more aircraft to be sent to Ukraine, and endorsing the Problem Solvers Caucus' proposal to send more defense aid. You can read the letter here and the Problem Solvers Caucus statement here.
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