“…it’s Hell. People are being bombed. People are starving to death and they don’t have any water in Mariupol…[The Russians] don’t even let our volunteers go in and bring people food, to bring people water and we have children [who have] died because of dehydration already. And when I keep looking at the response that we have so far from the international community…I’m shocked because 25 years ago when we gave up our nuclear weapons, we were promised we would be protected.” – Profile Hon. Ustinova in the Washington Post
Oleksandra “Sasha” Ustinova
Member of the Ukrainian Parliament
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 22, 2022, With Honor and the For Country Caucus knew that, without critical support, Ukraine’s young democracy might succumb to authoritarian rule once again. As some of the only Members of Congress who served on the front lines to defend freedom and democracy across the globe, Caucus members also understood the importance of preventing this outcome. As a result, With Honor and the Caucus played an early and vocal role in responding to the crisis.
With Honor has worked alongside the Caucus to pass bipartisan legislation to significantly increase Ukraine’s defense capabilities and encourage continuing cooperation among our NATO allies and the Baltic states:
- Legislation, introduced by Rep. and former For Country Caucus Co-Chair Jared Golden (D-ME) and Rep. and founding Co-Chair Don Bacon (R-NE), that directs the Defense Department to formulate devise key lessons from the first year of Russia’s invasion.
- Legislation, introduced by Rep. and For Country Caucus Member, August Pfluger to support the comprehensive Baltic Defense Assessment, which seeks to strengthen the Baltic states against the risk of Russian aggression.
- The For Country Caucus has steadfastly supported Ukraine. Despite calls in some quarters for less U.S. aid, Caucus Members have consistently voted to pass key legislation including the 2022 Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, which facilitated a lend-lease program (similar to the one authorized during World War II) for Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, and the 2022 Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which authorized $40.1 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
- In early 2024, With Honor and Members of the For Country Caucus strongly supported several efforts to provide additional funding for Ukraine, including the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which Congress passed on a broad, bipartisan basis. The bill provided $60.84 billion for Ukraine, including $23.2 billion to replenish U.S. stockpiles of defense articles that the Pentagon has provided to help Ukraine defend itself and to rejuvenate defense manufacturing capabilities across America.
- As partof the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, Congress also passed the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act, which permits the federal government to seize an estimated $5 billion worth of Russian assets under its jurisdiction to support military, economic, and humanitarian causes in Ukraine. It also directs the President to work with G7 nations and the European Union to coordinate efforts to advance an international fund that could seize up to $300 billion of Russian assets held in mainly Western nations.
In February 2023, Rep. Golden and then-Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) coordinated a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration to encouraging them to provide increased air support capabilities to Ukraine. In June of 2023, Rep. and For Country Caucus Co-Chair Jason Crow (D-CO) coordinated another bipartisan letter to push the Administration to provide the International Criminal Court with information to prove that Russia had committed war crimes.