Congresswoman's bill to streamline shipments of military equipment and munitions to Ukraine is now headed to the President's desk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, a bill led by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) to cut through red tape and speed the delivery of weapons, munitions and other military equipment to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion rages on. Slotkin’s bill, which had already been passed in the Senate, now heads to President Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.
“When it comes to national security, politics should stop at the water’s edge. Today, we reaffirmed that this is still possible: Republicans and Democrats came together to pass my bill that helps cut through red tape and streamline the process of delivering weapons, ammunition and other equipment to the Ukrainians,” said Slotkin. “Throughout this crisis, Congress has been pressing the Biden administration to ramp up its delivery of weapons to Ukraine and to quickly backfill NATO countries donating to Ukrainians. This legislation, which is now on its way to the president’s desk, helps clear the way to do just that.”
“This bill also has a strong place in American history: Congress has given lend-lease authorities to the President to fight back against regimes who have launched war and violence in the past. During World War II, the U.S. sent billions of dollars worth of aid and military equipment abroad through the 1941 Lend Lease Act to help countries fight the Nazi regime – including trucks, tanks, and planes that were built in Michigan. The Ukrainian people deserve every tool they can get to fight back against Putin’s aggression, and this bill is a big step forward to achieving that goal.”
Slotkin, a former CIA officer and top Pentagon official, has led a suite of bipartisan legislation to address Putin’s war against Ukraine, including the DICTATOR Act to investigate whether China is helping Russia evade U.S. sanctions, as well as the American Energy for Europe Act, which would leverage American manufacturing to help wean our European allies off Russian energy resources.
The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act was co-led by U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson (SC-02), Liz Cheney (WY) and Steve Cohen (TN-09). Once signed into law, the legislation will:
- Authorize the President to lend or lease military equipment to the Government of Ukraine to bolster its defensive capabilities for FY 2022 and 2023;
- Streamline the processes to provide defense equipment and material support to Ukraine; and
- Require the administration develop procedures to expedite the delivery of equipment to Ukraine to support its defenders.
Original source can be found here.
