Defending Democracy in Ukraine
“…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 Action and veterans in the For Country Caucus knew that, without critical support, Ukraine’s young democracy would be at risk of succumbing to authoritarian rule once again. As some of the only Members of Congress who physically served on the front lines in defense of freedom and democracy across the globe, the Members of the For Country Caucus also understood that this outcome was unacceptable. As a result, the Caucus and With Honor Action took an early and vocal role in responding to the crisis.
Since the invasion, With Honor Action has worked alongside the For Country Caucus to pass bipartisan legislation to significantly increase Ukraine’s defense capabilities and encourage cooperation among our NATO allies and the Baltic states to continue including:
- Legislation that tasks the Department of Defense to devise key lessons from the first year of Russia’s invasion led by former For Country Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Jared Golden, and founding Co-Chair, Rep. Don Bacon.
- Legislation supporting the comprehensive Baltic Defense Assessment led by For Country Caucus Member, Rep. August Pfluger.
- Additionally, the For Country Caucus has remained steadfast in its support for Ukraine. Despite calls for decreased aid, Members of the Caucus have consistently voted to pass key legislation including the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022, which facilitated a lend-lease program similar to the one authorized during World War II for Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, and the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022, which authorized $40.1 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
- In early 2024, With Honor Action and Members of the For Country Caucus also strongly supported several efforts to get additional funding for our Ukrainian allies. This included the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, which passed Congress on a broad, bipartisan basis. The bill dedicated $60.84 billion to our efforts in supporting Ukraine, including $23.2 billion to replenish our own stockpiles of defense articles and rejuvenate defense manufacturing capabilities across America.
- H.R. 4175 – Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act was also included in the above package and 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. Additionally, it directs the President to work with G7 nations and the European Union to coordinate efforts on an international fund that could seize up to $300 billion of Russian assets held in mainly Western nations.
Additionally, in February 2023, former For Country Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Jared Golden, and current Co-Chair, Rep. Tony Gonzales, led a bipartisan letter to the Biden Administration encouraging them to provide Ukraine with increased air support capabilities. In June of 2023, For Country Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Jason Crow, also led a bipartisan letter advocating for the Administration to provide the International Criminal Court with information that would prove Russia had committed war crimes.
“One of the most important and personally fulfilling areas of work the For Country Caucus has engaged on this Congress is Ukraine. We have a unique perspective on this war as veterans in Congress, and we have worked closely across party lines to combat Russian aggression in Ukraine, and provide oversight over the commitments of military and humanitarian assistance the U.S. has made. For this reason, the For Country Caucus has become an important body for dialogue with our counterparts in the Ukrainian Parliament.”