[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 158 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)] [House] [Pages H4823-H4826] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] UKRAINE SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND OVERSIGHT SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024 Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 730, I call up the bill (H.R. 5692) making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 730, the bill is considered read. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5692 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes, namely: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE Operations and Maintenance, Defense-Wide (including transfer of funds) For an additional amount for ``Operations and Maintenance, Defense-Wide'', for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, $300,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025, which shall be for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative: Provided, That such funds shall be available to the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide assistance, including training; equipment; lethal assistance; logistics support, supplies and services; salaries and stipends; sustainment; and intelligence support to the military and national security forces of Ukraine, and to other forces or groups recognized by and under the authority of the Government of Ukraine, including governmental entities within Ukraine, engaged in resisting Russian aggression against Ukraine, for replacement of any weapons or articles provided to the Government of Ukraine from the inventory of the United States, and to recover or dispose of equipment procured using funds made available in this section in this or prior Acts: Provided further, That the Secretary of Defense shall, not less than 15 days prior to obligating funds made available in this section, notify the congressional defense committees in writing of the details of any such obligation: Provided further, That the Secretary of Defense shall, not more than 60 days after such notification is made, inform such committees if such funds have not been obligated and the reasons therefor: Provided further, That the Secretary of Defense shall consult with such committees in advance of the provision of support provided to other forces or groups recognized by and under the authority of the Government of Ukraine: Provided further, That the United States may accept equipment procured using funds made available in this section in this or prior Acts transferred to the security forces of Ukraine and returned by such forces to the United States: Provided further, That equipment procured using funds made available in this section in this or prior Acts, and not yet transferred to the military or national security forces of Ukraine or to other assisted entities, or returned by such forces or other assisted entities to the United States, may be treated as stocks of the Department of Defense upon written notification to the congressional defense committees: Provided further, That any notification of funds made available in this section in this or prior Acts shall specify whether such funds support ongoing or new programs, the duration and expected cost over the life of each program, a timeline for the delivery of defense articles and defense services, and any equipment that requires enhanced end-use monitoring: Provided further, That the Secretary of Defense shall provide quarterly reports to the congressional defense committees on the use and status of funds made available in this section: Provided further, That of the amounts provided under this heading, $20,000,000 shall be transferred to the Office of Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance, as established in section 103 of this Act. GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT Sec. 101. Each amount appropriated or made available by this Act is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year involved. Sec. 102. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations accounts shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to such appropriations accounts for fiscal year 2024. Sec. 103. There is established the Office of the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance for the following: (1) To provide for the independent and objective conduct and supervision of audits and investigations, including within the territory of Ukraine, relating to the programs and operations funded with amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the military and nonmilitary support of Ukraine. (2) To provide for the independent and objective leadership and coordination of, and recommendations on, policies designed to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse in such programs and operations described in paragraph (1). (3) To provide for an independent and objective means of keeping the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies relating to the administration of such programs and operations and the necessity for and progress on corrective action. This Act may be cited as the ``Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 30 minutes, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees. The gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) each will control 15 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. General Leave Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the measure under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. [[Page H4824]] Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5692, which provides security assistance to Ukraine and funds a special inspector general to oversee these and other funds provided by the American taxpayers. In 2016, the Ukraine Security Initiative, referred to as USAI, was created in response to increased Russian aggression. These funds, along with the National Guard State Partnership Program with California and other efforts, have transformed the Ukrainian military from a remnant of the Soviet empire to a capable and increasingly Western fighting force. This funding is not sent directly to Ukraine. Since 2016, these funds have been used to pay for the training U.S. troops provide Ukrainian troops and for U.S.-manufactured weapons we provide to Ukraine. Yesterday, I supported an amendment preventing the deployment of U.S. troops to Ukraine. This program allows us to train Ukrainian troops so they can defend their own country. Because of this initiative, the Ukrainian people have degraded the world's third-largest standing army and mobilized a continent against an evil actor. I was recently in Germany meeting with Ukrainian forces who were headed to the front lines. I met grandfathers who had left their families in order to learn to operate tanks, young adults who had signed up as interpreters, and American troops who are eagerly training the Ukrainian forces. They were all clear-eyed about their commitment to this fight. General Williams, the commander of the U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa, said something that stuck with me: While America is giving its precious equipment and support, Ukrainians are giving their blood. This whole-of-nation effort to repel our common adversary deserves our support. I agree with my colleagues that the Biden administration needs to define our military objectives in Ukraine. We are and will continue to ask those difficult questions. I believe it is our duty to our constituents. I also agree that we need enhanced oversight. The funding in this bill will be subject to all the new oversight provisions that are in the fiscal year 2024 Defense appropriations bill. The bill also includes $20 million to fund a new special inspector general to improve end-use monitoring and oversight of taxpayer funds provided to assist Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, voting for this bill sends a strong message to Putin, Xi, and our partners in Ukraine. I strongly urge support of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Speaker and this House have catered to the extreme right again because they refuse to write a Defense bill that can get bipartisan support. So, here we are again, debating Ukraine security assistance. As I said during the rules debate, we debated this funding twice yesterday. The Biggs amendment was rejected by the House by a vote of 104-330, and the Gaetz amendment was rejected by this House 93-339. We debated this. This House considered similar amendments in the National Defense Authorization Act earlier this summer. At that time, the Greene amendment was rejected by a vote of 89-341, and the Gaetz amendment was rejected by 70-385. {time} 1830 These amendments were rejected because a majority of this House stands for preserving democracy. We stand for working with our democratic allies in preventing Vladimir Putin from seizing land through force, and these amendments were rejected because of the strong, bipartisan support for including consistent funding for Ukraine in the base Defense bill. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative has been part of the base bill since fiscal year 2015. The support has included training for Ukrainian troops, munitions, spare parts for vehicles, weapon systems, and medical supplies, and the Department of Defense has mechanisms in place to monitor our assistance. That is the work of the DOD Security Assistance Group-Ukraine. I also have traveled, and I traveled with subcommittee Republicans and Democrats to review how the training and equipping the Ukrainians were moving forward because, I agree, congressional oversight is important. The funding has been critical to ensure that Ukrainians could withstand Vladimir Putin's invasion last year. Congress began this support after Russia's unprovoked, illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Five different chairs of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee across both parties have consistently included this funding in the base Defense appropriation bill, and that includes Chairman Calvert, myself last Congress, and Chairwoman Granger when she chaired the subcommittee. We included this funding because Vladimir Putin is a bully. He threatens just not Ukraine but global stability. Putin uses paramilitary groups like the brutal Wagner organization to destabilize African nations using murder, rape, and torture to achieve his foreign policy goals. In February 2022, Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine and overthrow this democratically elected government. Russia deliberately fired cruise missiles into apartment buildings, shopping malls, schools, daycare centers, and even hospitals. It is clear: Putin is a war criminal, and he must be confronted. That is why this Congress has consistently included funding as a priority in this base bill--to help Ukraine fight back against this illegal, unjust invasion of their territory. It is important that we, along with our allies, continue to support their fight for freedom. The rest of the world is watching, including other authoritarian nations, as to how the United States, NATO, and other allies continue to support Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me and others bipartisanly to support this bill one more time again and vote for supporting Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean). Mr. KEAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 5692, the Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act. Everyone in this Chamber wants peace in Ukraine as quickly as humanly possible, but there can only be a truly durable peace after Ukraine's victory and after the defeat of Russia's invading forces. Victory in Ukraine will also allow America's enemies to know that the price they will pay for future unprovoked aggression is way too high. It will deter Putin from setting his sights on a NATO ally next, and it will signal to Xi that the free world is willing and able to show resolve in the case of Taiwan. With what amounts to just 5 percent of last year's defense budget, U.S. security assistance to Ukraine since the full scale invasion began has helped Ukraine seriously degrade Russia's military without putting one U.S. troop in harm's way. This is why continued support to Ukraine is in the U.S. best interest. Unfortunately, President Biden has slow-rolled the provision of critical weapon systems to Ukraine, from HIMARS to F-16s to tanks to longer-range ATACMS. It is not wise statesmanship; it is weakness. This failed policy is prolonging the war. Mr. Speaker, we must demand President Biden send weapons to Ukraine at the speed of relevance. We must fully utilize the available security assistance authorities to support Ukraine's victory; not defund them. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative has been funded by Congress for years to support Ukraine against Putin's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent war in the Donbas. In fact, President Trump used this same critical funding stream that we are debating today to transfer Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine, reversing President Obama's failure to do so. While supporting Ukraine, Congress must ensure that all U.S. assistance is accounted for and every single taxpayer dollar is spent with precision. That is why my bill also includes $20 million for additional oversight of U.S. assistance to Ukraine. I had the opportunity to speak with President Zelenskyy during his recent [[Page H4825]] trip, and I emphasized the importance of this oversight. It is also in the U.S. security interest for Ukraine to win as soon as possible, and that is why I am asking my colleagues to join me in supporting my bill to ensure that the $300 million for DOD's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative becomes law. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), ranking member of the full Appropriations Committee. Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I have witnessed a lot of surprising and at times confounding things in my time in the House of Representatives, especially in this 118th Congress, but I do not recall a time that this body with an overwhelming bipartisan majority voted to appropriate funds that were then stripped from a bill in the darkness of night. Three hundred thirty-nine members of the House of Representatives, including a majority of the majority, voted yesterday to include support for Ukraine in the Defense appropriations bill. Ninety-three voted against it. Then the Republicans stripped the Ukraine funding from the Defense bill to placate an extreme minority over the will of the majority and prioritizes maintaining the gavel over responsible governing. Russian tyranny and aggression threaten more than just Ukraine's borders. We learned in Georgia, we learned in Crimea, if you stand by while Russia takes an inch, they will take a mile. Vladimir Putin must be held to account for upending Europe's security and peacetime for a pointless and bloody war which has disrupted energy markets and triggered food insecurity around the world. We must be clear about what this means, plain and simple. This is appeasement like the world experienced in 1938, which led to a cascading murderous result. Ukraine's fight for democracy and sovereignty requires decisive action and absolute support from the free world. We must act like the leaders of the free world. We must not abandon our position as the world's beacon of democratic values. We must not surrender our global influence to Russia, China, or any group that threatens democracies. Members of this body have come together again and again to reaffirm our commitment to helping Ukraine defend itself against this vicious invasion. We did so again yesterday. Regardless of which votes the majority is afraid of taking, Democrats will not be afraid of supporting our allies. Funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative should remain in the base bill. That is where they have been since 2015. Republicans now have an $826 billion Defense bill that does not include any assistance for Ukraine, the most urgent security crisis that we face in the world. Even if House Republicans insist on upending our process, we cannot abandon Ukraine. I urge the Speaker of the House to lead those who actually wish to govern, not those who seek to appease Putin. We need to support Ukraine. Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the supplemental appropriations act. This month, Luke Coffey of the Hudson Institute addressed ``The Top Myths about U.S. Aid to Ukraine,'' revealing: ``Every dollar spent in support of Ukraine is authorized by Congress and used for a specific purpose.'' ``As of September 2023, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with $101 billion, or 0.43 percent of America's GDP.'' ``The vast majority of this money never leaves the U.S. and instead supports American jobs.'' ``There has likely never been more accountability in place for U.S. foreign assistance . . . '' with the U.S. `` . . . Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group. More than 160 officials across 20 Federal oversight agencies monitor U.S. aid to Ukraine.'' ``According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy's Ukraine aid tracker, total European commitments are now more than double those of the U.S.'' ``Russia is China's junior partner. A defeated Russia means a weaker China.'' Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, ``The security of the Indo-Pacific region cannot be separated from European security.'' War criminal Putin started this conflict of dictators with rule of gun, opposing democracies with rule of law, declaring their goal of death to Israel, death to America. We should support the supplemental for peace through strength in the spirit of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan: Why not victory? Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), a leader in the Ukrainian Caucus here in the U.S. Congress. Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McCollum for her steadfast leadership and yielding time. Mr. Speaker, this bill provides military support for Ukraine. I firmly stand on the side of Ukraine, on the side of liberty, and against Russian tyranny. Such support to Ukraine is both necessary and noble. Given the immensity of the ongoing onslaught by Russia to do less is acquiescence to Vladimir Putin and his expansionist lethal ambitions. America's commitment to delivering aid to Ukraine is rooted in the enduring U.S.-Ukraine relationship, a partnership that dates back to Ukraine's Declaration of Independence as a captive nation from the clutches of the Soviet Union when it collapsed in 1991. Since that pivotal moment, the United States has consistently backed Ukraine, providing vital support for sovereignty, security, and development through foreign assistance. The urgency of our cultural, political, and economic ties with Ukraine has gained even greater significance in the face of Vladimir Putin's unprovoked aggression. The free world cannot turn a blind eye to the consequences of failing to deter Putin's expansionist ambitions after his 2014 annexation of Crimea. The world's inaction then led to the horrifying events of February 24 last year when Russian tanks rolled into Kyiv, Ukraine, to impose foreign tyranny over 40 million people. In response to Ukraine's brave resistance, Putin has unleashed a calculated campaign of terror. He invaded, bombed cities, kidnapped children, and committed grievous war crimes with the intent of erasing Ukraine's very identity as a free nation. More than 120,000 lives have been lost; 170,000 troops have been injured on the scrimmage line of liberty in Europe; 20,000 wounded amputees are a grim reminder of Putin's butchery. Valiantly, Ukraine has not surrendered. The free world must meet Russia's latest salvo against freedom. Ukraine's heroic defenses serve as a beacon of hope. When people unite to defend their freedom, they can overcome the most predatory, formidable enemies. There are implications for global security far beyond Ukraine. Ukraine's plight is not just about its liberty; it is about freedom everywhere. Let me be clear: Funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative is not just about financial aid, it is a testament to our full-fledged commitment to a free, sovereign, and democratic nation. To Ukrainians here in America and abroad, know that the free world and everyone that represents the majority on both sides of the aisle here, all of our colleagues, stand with you. Freedom means never surrender. Liberty's allies stand by the brave people of Ukraine. With our help, the Ukrainians will defeat Putin's aggression. {time} 1845 Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), my good friend. Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this bill to the floor. I rise in support of Mr. Kean's bill. Mr. Speaker, after President Obama's appeasement and inaction, Putin took Crimea without firing a shot and invaded the Donbas, 15,000 people were killed back in 2014. It was President Trump that started sending Javelins and other lethal weapons to Ukraine to defend itself and continued important training and logistical support of the Ukrainians that had preceded his efforts. It was President Trump that signed into law this annual funding every year [[Page H4826]] of his Presidency. That is why this small nation of Ukraine with its brave people, amazing drive, and passion for freedom have demonstrated to the world that it is the best military in the territory of Ukraine. Russia has stumbled from being the second largest power in the world militarily to maybe barely the second best in Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, the price for less than 1 week of Federal spending authorized by this Congress--less than 1 week of Federal spending--we have seen the Ukrainians decimate the Russian military strength and set it back decades. Mr. Speaker, I support this measure tonight. I support the reassessment of Ukraine's strategy to win and win promptly, too. Heads, Ukraine wins. Tails, Russia, the invader, loses. We need to make sure they have the right strategy and that it has got the right way to win and win promptly. I support the careful and prudent inspector general funding attached to this bill to make sure that American taxpayer funds are spent in the right way to have a decisive defeat of the Russians. Mr. Speaker, I urge that we adopt this bill with a strong bipartisan vote. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Minnesota has 5 minutes remaining. The gentleman from California has 6 minutes remaining. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times this week, this Congress has consistently provided this funding for the last 9 fiscal years. I hope we will work hard to make sure that this funding returns in conference back to the base bill in the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Providing training and equipment to Ukraine has helped them withstand Russia's full scale invasion, and continuing this support in the base bill on a bipartisan basis is important to maintaining that effort. I had the privilege of meeting women from Ukraine who are in the Ukrainian ambulance corps. They drive around in subcompacts. They drive around without bulletproof vests and whatever first aid equipment they can find firsthand to save lives. I have had the honor and privilege of meeting people who are going through our training courses that we do with NATO in Germany, as the chair was referring to. I had the privilege before the invasion happened in February 2022 of meeting the mayor of Kyiv where he was just asking if he could make sure that the United States had the right caliber bullets for the hunting rifles and some of the guns that the Ukrainian citizens in Kyiv and the surrounding areas had so they could support their military should the invasion occur. We did that. It was an honor to work with those who made sure that that happened. Mr. Speaker, recently I had a friend in Nisswa, Minnesota, who was returning home from Kyiv where she had not only time to spend with her mother and go mushroom hunting and watch firsthand the post-traumatic stress that her family is dealing with, but saying goodbye to a cousin who is returning to the front lines after healing from a wound. Ukrainians are fighting. They are fighting for their very existence, and they are fighting for their strongly held democratic values that we share and, as I said, for their very existence. They are standing up to an authoritarian bully, and we should continue to stand up with them and support them in the ways we have been doing. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5692, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 730, the previous question is ordered on the bill. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. ____________________