Chair Cardin Speaks in Support of Ukraine, Urges Passage of National Security Supplemental

“There is no more important foreign policy priority than getting this bill passed and signed by the President. It is our number one priority for our national security.”

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate in support of passing the bipartisan national security supplemental to help our allies in Ukraine stand up to Russian aggression, support our allies in Israel, and protect our partners in the Indo-Pacific.

“There is no more important foreign policy priority than getting this bill passed and signed by the President. It is our number one priority for our national security. You’ve heard my colleagues talk about the fact that this is not about Russia versus Ukraine. That's what this war immediately is about. But it’s about the free world – democracy versus autocracy,” said Chair Cardin. “The will and fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people is to be admired. Their leadership has been incredible, and they are the ones that have been able to hold back the big Russian army.”

WATCH THE CHAIR’S FULL REMARKS HERE

A copy of the Chair’s full remarks, as delivered, have been provided below.

Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank Senator Bennett for those comments. Senator Shaheen, thank you for organizing this opportunity for us to talk about the importance of this bill. But I must tell you, it's been a long road. And there were times where I think we thought we would not be able to get this aid package to the floor of the United States Senate. And the Senator from Colorado was one of the strongest voices that we had to make sure we never gave up. We were disappointed many, many times over many months. And Senator Shaheen has been in the forefront serving both on the Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations to make sure again that we kept the momentum moving forward to get this done. Even last night when we thought that there was an impediment that we could not overcome. We looked at the votes of the board and said, “It doesn't look like we're going to get there.” We said, Senator Shaheen said, Senator Bennet, said Senator Blumenthal said, we can't give up. I had the honor of chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the presiding officer, is one of our distinguished members.

There is no more important foreign policy priority than getting this bill passed and signed by the President. It is our number one priority for our national security. You've heard my colleagues talk about the fact that this is not about Russia versus Ukraine. That's what this war immediately is about. But it's about the free world – democracy versus autocracy. And yes, two years ago, how many of us thought that President Zelensky would still be alive, let alone president of a viable country – Ukraine? The will and fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people is to be admired. Their leadership has been incredible, and they are the ones that have been able to hold back the big Russian army. But they couldn't do it without our support. Yes, they'll still fight, but they can't hold back that type of force unless they have the ammunition and the weapons and the support that they need in order to carry on this battle.

And when I said it's not a fight between Russia and Ukraine, we have a coalition of the democratic powers of the world all working to help Ukraine - Europe and throughout the global community. And I think sometimes it's lost because our constituents think this is just the United States coming to Ukraine's aid. Europe collectively provides more help than we do as a nation. We are the largest single contributor. They can't do without our expertise, our help and our resources, and our equipment. We know that. But look who's on the other side. Who is supporting Russia? It's Iran. It's North Korea. And yes, it's the People's Republic of China. They're the ones supporting Russia's efforts.

Yes, this supplemental is interconnected. What's happening in the Middle East, what's happening in the China Seas, what's happening with Taiwan – all related to whether democracies can prevail. We have so much at stake. And yesterday, I was so disappointed because of the vote that took place. Today, I see some light here. But let's take advantage of this. We have momentum. Let's make sure we get this bill passed.

And why is it so important? There is no question in any of our minds that Russia will not stop its military operations at Ukraine's border. Russian troops are already in Moldova, in Georgia because of earlier incursions similar to what happened with Crimea and Ukraine. Does any of us think that they are not going to try to take over those countries as they did Ukraine? And then take a look at the Baltic countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia – used to be part of Russia, at least they claim. We never recognized that. They're now NATO's allies, and great NATO's allies. Mr. Putin wants to take over those countries. Poland – he wants to take over Poland and the countries that border. And he doesn't stop there. This really is an alignment of the world. And it's so critically important that the United States is the leader in this effort on behalf of democracy. It's not only the money that's important. It's not only the ammunition and the munitions that are important. It's U.S. leadership – because it's a clear signal that we are going to triumph, that Ukraine will triumph, and democracy will triumph. So we really need to understand the importance of this action.

Mr. President, I've been honored to be a member of this body now for 18 years. It’s my 18th year in the United States Senate. This is perhaps the most important vote I will cast as a United States Senator. That's just how important this issue is for us to get done. And I'm proud of many of the issues that I've taken up, that we've taken up during my years in the United States Senate. That's how important it is for us to get this done.

And yes, we need to make sure that we stop the Iranian proxies in the Middle East, because they are all part of this. Yes, we could be drawn into a conflict because of what's happening in the Red Sea or what the Hezbollah is doing on Israel's northern border or Iran's activities and proxies in Iraq. We know that. We've got to act with dispatch urgency. In Ukraine, the case is that they don't have enough ammunition. They're rationing ammunition, today. There are Ukrainian villages – as we speak on the floor of the United States Senate – that are at risk of being taken over by Russian forces. Because they don't have the munitions they need and the support they need, including from the United States of America.

This has been a great investment. How many of us thought that the money that we invested over the last two years would lead to blocking the Russian military? But it's done that. And yes, it's real that the alternative to money could be U.S. military – our sons and daughters over fighting in Europe once again. Look at history. Look at what happened in the 1930s. Look what led up to World War II. You see some dangerous comparisons that are taking place. We need to be on the right side of history and the right side of history to make sure the supplemental is passed with dispatch. There are so many other issues in here that are critically important. We need to make sure that humanitarian assistance is there. And we need to make sure at the end of the day, Russia is held accountable for what they have done – war crimes, they've committed genocide, they've tried to wipe the Ukrainian culture off the face of the earth. Sound familiar – World War II? They have to be held accountable. They have to be held accountable financially for the damage they've caused to Ukraine.

I am proud of the bill we were able to pass in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, known as the REPO bill. I congratulate Senator Whitehouse and Senator Risch for their leadership on that. It also includes the Global Center. It also includes atrocities prevention. We need to make sure that we have a comprehensive way to make sure Russia is held accountable for what they have done. But it starts with supporting Ukraine to defend itself and to win this war of aggression that Russia started and make it clear that we're there in the Middle East. There is no future for security of Israel and the Palestinians with Hamas in control. They have to be eliminated. The proxies in Iran have to be neutralized. And yes, in the Indo-Pacific, we must stand with our ally Taiwan, so there is no military action taken by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan. All that's in this bill and that's why this bill is so critically important that we get to the finish line.

So, Mr. President, I urge my colleagues, we had a good vote a little while ago. We're not at the finish line in the United States Senate. The next step – let’s be reasonable and find a reasonable path forward to get this bill done – I hope within the next day or two, send it over to the House of Representatives, and hope that our colleagues in the House will follow the lead of the United States Senate. Democrats and Republicans working together to get a bill done for our national security. And then, Mr. President, I hope we can get back to border security. Because we know our immigration system needs that and we need border security. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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