Senator Baldwin Statement on President Zelensky’s Address to Congress and Her Support for Ukraine

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement on Ukraine President Zelensky’s address to Congress this morning and her vote in support of $14.2 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and our NATO allies.

“President Zelensky’s address to Congress was powerful and a reflection of the courage and strength of the Ukrainian people. I believe we need to keep standing strong with Ukraine, our European allies, and NATO by continuing to provide them the support they need to defend against Putin’s war against freedom, and help our allies address the tragic humanitarian crisis he has created for millions of innocent Ukrainians,” said Senator Baldwin.

Last week, Senator Baldwin joined Democrats and Republicans and voted for bipartisan legislation that provides $14.2 billion in assistance to Ukraine and our NATO allies. The Senate vote was 68-31.

Yesterday, President Biden signed the legislation into law, which includes much needed support and resources to bolster the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian military, regional allies and partners, support the implementation of economic sanctions and export restrictions on Russia, and address the evolving humanitarian crisis resulting from Putin’s unprovoked and illegal attack on the Ukrainian people.

• Department of Defense: The bill provides $6.5 billion for the Department of Defense. This includes $3.5 billion to restore military stocks of equipment that has been transferred to the government of Ukraine, and $3.1 billion to address deployment, operational, and intelligence costs for U.S. forces deployed to Europe to deter further aggression. The bill also includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistant Initiative and $300 million in security assistance to support NATO allies in the region, including the Baltic states.
• State Department Security Assistance: The bill provides $650 million in military support and an expansion of existing authorities to bolster the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian military and regional allies and partners.
• Humanitarian Support: The bill provides $4 billion to respond to the rapidly expanding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, where more than 12 million people are in need of urgent, life-saving assistance and more than 1.5 million people have become refugees in neighboring countries, and respond to other humanitarian emergencies. The funds will support the provision of food, shelter, and other basic necessities to these increasingly desperate populations.
• Economic Assistance: The bill provides more than $1.7 billion for economic and stabilization assistance in Ukraine and impacted countries in the region.
• Food Aid – The bill provides $100 million for PL 480 Title II grants – commonly known as the Food for Peace (FFP) program – for emergency food assistance to Ukraine and the surrounding region.
• Electric Grid – The bill provides the Department of Energy with $30 million to provide technical and cyber-security assistance with efforts to integrate Ukraine’s electric grid with the European Union’s electric grid.
• Department of Justice: The bill provides $59.4 million for the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute sanctions violations, cyber threats, and ransomware related to the Russian threat and the war in Ukraine, including efforts to combat kleptocracy.
• Department of Commerce: The bill provides $22.1 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security within the Department of Commerce for enhanced export control enforcement, economic and trade-based analysis, and increased coordination with allies’ and partner countries’ export control authorities.
• Economic Sanctions – The bill provides $61 million for Departmental Management, the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within the Department of the Treasury. These resources will support analysis of Russian economic vulnerabilities, sanction targeting, and Russian policy and financial measures as the Department of the Treasury implements the most ambitious program of economic sanctions in the history of the Department. These resources will also monitor the impact of sanctions on the economy in coordination with financial institutions and financial markets here and abroad.

In addition, last night the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senator Baldwin calling for Vladimir Putin and members of his regime to be held accountable for the numerous acts of war, aggression, and human rights abuses that have been conducted under his watch. The bipartisan Senate resolution stands with the Ukrainian people and supports Ukraine’s war crimes complaint to the International Criminal Court.

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.