Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS), released the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed a $39 billion emergency spending bill to aid the Ukrainian people, nearly half of which is SFOPS funding:
“The House of Representatives’ passage of nearly $40 billion for military, economic, and humanitarian aid last night is a clear demonstration of the strong and bipartisan U.S. commitment to standing behind the Ukrainian people as they resist Russia’s brutal and unjust military invasion. There is more that should have gone into this bill, including funding to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic around the world and a pathway to permanent residency for our Afghan allies who have evacuated their own country after helping U.S. forces at great personal risk.
“With that said, this is a strong bill, especially with more than $5 billion that has been made available in the package to prevent and address food insecurity. Ukraine, the bread basket of Europe, will produce at least one-third less wheat this year, and the United States must take steps to prevent a regional and global hunger crisis as a result of the conflict. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to swiftly take up and pass the House package so the flow of lifesaving aid to Ukraine can continue.”
###