Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding his support for the military aid funding currently under debate in the Senate, which would provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“Strength is what we need now in the face of aggression from Russia and Iran and threats from China,” Grassley said in his remarks. “I don’t buy this notion that it is a conservative or Republican position to abandon the American leadership that has kept the peace since World War II – meaning, no World War III. I certainly do not think it is conservative to advocate a return to the weak and failed Obama policy.”
“I make no apologies for supporting Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the face of threats from the axis of anti-American dictatorships… Russia, Iran, China [and] North Korea. They have their sights set upon replacing the United States as leaders of this earth. It is an investment worth making to prevent the United States [from] getting sucked into World War III,” Grassley concluded.
Video and a transcript of Grassley’s full remarks follow.
Mr. President,
A recent article by Peter Pomerantsev in TIME Magazine starts this way, it’s about a Ukrainian held prisoner by the Russians:
“After they beat Azat Azatyan so bad blood came out of his ears; after they sent electric shocks up his genitals; after they wacked him with pipes and truncheons, the Russians began to interrogate him about his faith.
‘When did you become a Baptist? When did you become an American spy?’
Azat tried to explain that in Ukraine there was freedom of religion, you could just choose your faith.
But his torturers saw the world the same way as their predecessors at the KGB did – an American church is just a front for the American state.”
Since Soviet times, the Russian Orthodox Church has been used as a tool of the state, so Russians assume Protestants in Ukraine are American agents.
The world was horrified after the Kyiv suburb of Bucha was liberated, revealing that civilians had been massacred simply for being loyal Ukrainians.
But Bucha is not an exception.
In every part of Ukraine that Russia has occupied, civilians have been murdered, women systematically raped and Christians not loyal to Moscow have been persecuted, tortured and killed.
Every day, the Russian military fires rockets, drones and shells at civilian areas to demoralize the population in hopes of taking more Ukrainian land.
And yet, with every Russian missile attack, every Ukrainian town destroyed and every report of murdered pastors, the Ukrainian people become more determined to prevent any more territory falling under Russian occupation.
You can understand why calls [from] some American politicians to negotiate with Russia seem so absurd to Ukrainians under daily attack.
Ukraine knows that if it allows any more territory to fall under Russian control, it will mean more Ukrainians tortured and killed.
Likewise, for most Ukrainians, giving up on their fellow countrymen currently suffering under Russian occupation is unthinkable.
There is also zero indication from Russia that it is looking to negotiate.
The lack of any new U.S. military assistance from Congress for over a year has actually bolstered Putin’s belief that he can outlast the West, despite being outnumbered and outmatched in economic and military power.
Russia is in violation of multiple treaties recognizing Ukraine’s borders and promising to respect its sovereignty, starting out with the United Nations’ charter that guarantees the sovereignty of individual countries.
Beyond that, the United States and Russia, plus the [United Kingdom], all signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1993, in which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union in return for a guarantee of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
If you believe in the rule of law, that Budapest Memorandum ought to mean something.
Just like in 2014, if Russia gets away with any territory it took by force, it will send the message that force pays off.
Before long, Russia will be back for far more territory. And who is to say they would stop with Ukraine?
Anyone claiming that there is no threat to the rest of Europe is choosing to ignore comments by people in Putin’s inner circle threatening NATO allies like Poland and the Baltic countries.
Putin made it very clear back in 2005 when he said, “The demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century.”
We all hear Putin talking a lot about Peter the Great and restoring the Russian Empire.
The Russian Empire grew and grew throughout history irrespective of national, ethnic, religious or cultural borders.
That provides the context when Putin repeats the phrase, “Russia’s borders do not end anywhere.”
I believe in the lesson we took from World War II for the Cold War – that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
When we see the flame of aggression, we ought to stamp it out before the whole world is engulfed.
Neville Chamberlain bet everything on the hope that letting Hitler take the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia would satisfy him and there would be, according to his own words, “Peace in our time.”
It’s not 1938, but it could be.
And, hopefully, no World War confronts us like it did in 1938 when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made that trip to Germany and had that meeting that ended with the words, “Peace in our time.”
We all know that Hitler soon took the rest of Czechoslovakia. Then, in a short period of time, invaded Poland.
We stayed out of that war until we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, and then World War II was raging, both in the Pacific and in Europe.
So, can we learn from history?
Today we have to decide again whether to respond to aggression with strength while the threat is manageable, or opt for appeasement and hope against experience that it will not lead to a wider war, as it did in the late 1930s.
Think about how much was lost in World War II – not just in dollars, but in American lives.
Now think about how much it would cost in American blood and treasure if Russia is emboldened to attack a NATO ally.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty would kick in and all 31 countries would be involved in that effort. The United States would, likewise, be involved.
Now, the United States has been spending about 5 percent of our annual military budget to arm Ukraine, and U.S. intelligence believes the war has severely degraded Russia’s military power and its ability to threaten NATO allies.
Ukraine has taken back about half the territory Russia occupied in 2022.
But, without American aid, Ukraine is [almost] out of ammunition and Russia sees an opportunity.
Europe has spent more than twice as much as the United States on aid to Ukraine in total dollars.
Think of the humanitarian aid that Europe lends to those millions of Ukrainians that have sought refuge in other countries.
Compared to Europe, when you look at it as a share of the economy, the United States ranks number 32.
Number one-ranking Estonia has provided more than 12 times as much assistance as a share of its economy, because Estonia knows what it’s like to be occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991.
Europe has stepped up big time and keeps finding ways to do more.
You read daily in the newspapers about European leaders wondering whether the United States Congress is going to step up, and they’ve tried to fill in the vacuum while we dither here, waiting to make a decision on more help for Ukraine.
Now the Czechs and the Estonians have led two efforts to pool Europe’s funds to purchase shells from other countries to patch the gap left by the United States while Congress dithers on this issue.
But the Czechs and Estonians do not have the military industrial base that we do, so they cannot do it all.
Opponents of Ukraine aid [have] started talking down our industrial base’s ability to produce everything needed to stop Russian aggression while also preparing for China – which may just follow Russia’s example against Taiwan if Russia is successful in Ukraine.
These people argue that Ukraine can’t win, so we should cut our losses and worry about China.
I disagree.
The fact is, Russia has lost much of its experienced military [forces] and advanced equipment.
Russia does have a vast population and has put its economy on a full war footing, so it has been able to reconstitute.
However, Russian soldiers are poorly trained, and morale of these Russian soldiers is in the toilet.
Russia has resorted to its old tactic of “meat assaults,” where hundreds of poorly trained infantry try to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses with sheer numbers and great deaths.
Russia has only been able to make incremental advances while taking huge casualties in the face of superior Ukrainian morale and equipment.
Russia’s economy is feeling the strain.
Word has gotten out about how freely Russian commanders sacrifice the lives of their soldiers.
It will only get a lot harder to replace the tens of thousands of Russian soldiers sent to their deaths in Ukraine.
Russia is pinning its hopes on U.S. military aid not coming and Ukraine running out of ammunition.
I, for one, am happy to help dash Putin’s hopes.
The good news is that our defense industrial base is ramping up.
That includes the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, which has more than doubled production using its current facilities.
It is also undergoing a major modernization program, accelerated by previous Ukraine supplemental bills.
In the near future, it will have a brand-new facility that will be able to produce many more 155 millimeter shells and do it much faster.
Those arguing that the United States is no longer up to the task of producing the necessary military equipment are underestimating our economy.
I am reminded of President [Carter]’s famous 1979 “Malaise” speech, where he identified a crisis of confidence among the American People. That was 1979.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan came along with his signature optimism that America’s best days are ahead. And he worked to overcome the challenges we faced, including the lagging economy and an under-resourced military.
Just recently, the Japanese Prime Minister spoke to our Congress and delivered a message as a very good friend. He said he detected an undercurrent of self-doubt about Americans.
The Japanese Prime Minister spoke movingly about the role of American leadership in championing freedom and fostering the stability and prosperity of nations like Japan.
That Japanese prime minister explained that, while American leadership is indispensable, Americans are not alone in this world.
With allies like Japan and many countries in Europe stepping up, the free world has never been stronger or more united. So this is hardly a time for a crisis of confidence.
In fact, I’m shocked to hear some people in my own party, the Republican party, accepting American decline and advocating a return to the Obama head-in-the-sand policy towards Russia.
Remember, back then, Obama was so afraid of “escalation” that he tried to appease Putin after Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
Look at that mistake we made. Do we want to [do it over] again?
Obama refused to provide any lethal aid – not one bullet for Ukraine under Obama.
He pushed Ukraine to negotiate with a gun to its head.
President Trump came in, reversed the Obama policy and provided equipment and training to the Ukrainian military.
Thank God Trump did that.
The Javelins provided by the United States played a major rule in stopping the Russian advance towards Kyiv.
Take it from this senator, elected to this body alongside President Reagan.
The conservative position is to believe in America, to invest in our military and to support freedom.
Like the Senate-passed bill, most of the money in this package goes straight to our military to replenish stockpiles spent in the United States using American labor.
It will allow for more drawdowns to send vital military aid to Ukraine.
This includes Patriot interceptors that can take down Russia’s most advanced missiles and save lives at the same time.
Ukraine will get more Iowa-made howitzer shells that are far more accurate and reliable than those that Russia has begged from North Korea.
And, an improvement added by Reagan Republicans in the House, is a requirement for the Biden administration to provide the long range ATACM missiles needed to take out Russia’s supply lines.
I’ve been calling for these ATACMs to be provided for a long time.
I think the reason they have not been provided by the Biden administration is due to the holdover of the Obama fear of escalation.
That fear has proven to be misguided.
The only way to lasting peace is strength.
That is what Ronald Reagan showed Americans.
Strength is what we need now in the face of aggression from Russia and Iran and threats from China.
I don’t buy this notion that it is a conservative or Republican position to abandon the American leadership that has kept the peace since World War II – meaning, no World War III.
I certainly do not think it is conservative to advocate a return to the weak and failed Obama policy.
I make no apologies for supporting Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the face of threats from the axis of anti-American dictatorships. Now, instead of the axis of [the] 1940s – Germany, Italy and Japan – it’s now the axis of the 21st century – Russia, Iran, China [and] North Korea. They have their sights set upon replacing the United States as leaders of this earth.
It is an investment worth making to prevent the United States [from] getting sucked into World War III.
It is also the right thing to do.
I yield.
A VERY LONG AND BORING EXCUSE TO WASTE OUR MONEY WHEN OUR COUNTRY IS BROKE. GRASSLEY SENT ME THIS CRAP IN EMAIL TO AND I DONT CARE!
STOP SPENDING SENATOR!
FUND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!