Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today praised Senate passage of H.R. 7691, a bill providing supplemental funding to support Ukraine. The bill provides nearly $20 billion for the Department of Defense to provide additional military aid to the Ukrainian armed forces as they continue to fight Russian aggression, provide mission support for U.S. troops deployed in Europe, and support the U.S. industrial base.
“As the Director of National Intelligence told us last week, Russia is preparing for a ‘prolonged’ and ‘escalatory’ conflict — which means Ukraine needs more military aid, including more advanced systems, and they need to get it more quickly and without any gaps.
“It’s clearly in America’s best interests to support the Ukrainians – a brave and capable people. I’m glad to see that this supplemental provides additional Presidential Drawdown Authority and more funding to bolster U.S. munitions production and backfill U.S. weapons and ammunition stocks, above what the president requested. It also makes great use of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which my colleagues and I created back when the Obama-Biden administration was dragging its feet on supporting Ukraine during Russia’s first invasion. But we still need to do more, both to help Ukraine and replenish our own stocks, and we especially need to move faster on producing munitions.
“As Ukraine continues to beat back the invaders and retake territory, many of our allies have rallied support and imposed severe sanctions on the Putin regime. Finland and Sweden have announced they are seeking NATO membership as a direct result of Russian aggression. It is clear we must remain unified in pushing back on Russia’s attempts to bully its neighbors. Together we can sustain Ukraine’s ability to win on the battlefield while crippling the Russian army for a generation. As NATO allies and partners, it’s in all of our interest to keep Ukraine in the fight.
“Passing this supplemental today was a vital next step, and I urge the president to sign it into law without delay. President Biden needs to get out in front of this crisis, instead of staying 10 steps behind.”
The Senate approved H.R. 7691 with a vote of 86-11. The bill now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.