Shaheen Lauds Robust Assistance for Ukraine in New Government Funding Bill
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen – a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation – issued the following statement after Senate and House Appropriations leadership released final government funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2022 that includes $13.6 billion in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.
“As the Ukrainian people fight for their country, they carry the weight of the world on their backs while they fervently defend the future of liberal democracies around the globe,” said Shaheen, also a member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus. “Supporting Ukraine against Putin’s premeditated, unprovoked war is not only the right thing to do, it is in the best interest for U.S. national security and the stability of our world order. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve continuously advocated for military and economic assistance for Ukraine, and I applaud this latest action to deliver aid to our democratic partners at this precarious time. What happens in Ukraine matters for Ukraine, our NATO allies, the United States and the security of the international community. Stopping Putin’s war in Ukraine will not only save lives in Ukraine, but it will prevent this war from spilling into NATO ally territory, which would trigger a U.S. military reaction that we seek to prevent. Importantly, this bill also includes urgent funding to help Ukraine’s neighboring countries respond to over two million Ukrainian refugees seeking safety from Putin’s violence. The U.S. has led the global response to this crisis and we must continue to lead a coordinated rebuke of Putin. This additional military and humanitarian assistance makes good on that effort, and I urge Congress to move swiftly so we can deliver this to the President and see it signed into law as quickly as possible. There is no time to waste.”
In addition to this military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Shaheen also supported the inclusion of $59.4 million for the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute sanctions violations, cyber threats and ransomware related to the Russian threat and war in Ukraine, including efforts to combat kleptocracy. She also worked to include $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’ control authorities. Senator Shaheen chairs the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds both the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce.
Shaheen has led action in the U.S. Senate in support of Ukraine in response to Vladimir Putin’s belligerence against Ukraine, which also threatens the stability and security of Eastern Europe and NATO allies. Last month, Shaheen led a successful bipartisan effort with Portman to pass a resolution that conveys a renewed and overwhelmingly bipartisan message from the U.S. Senate in fierce support of Ukraine. In January, Shaheen and Portman led a bipartisan delegation to Ukraine, where they met with President Zelenskyy and members of his administration.
Senator Shaheen has long led efforts in the Senate to hold Russia accountable for its malign activity against the U.S. and its allies. Because of her role as a negotiator on Russia sanctions legislation known as “CAATSA” and her successful efforts to ban Kaspersky Lab software from operating on U.S. systems, Shaheen was sanctioned by the Kremlin in 2017. Before the Shaheen-Portman congressional delegation visit to Ukraine in January, Shaheen led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, last June.
