Taxpayer Assistance And Service Act
Thank you, Senator Curtis, and it was truly a joy to travel with you. This was not luxurious travel. We were getting tired of each other's odor by the time we got done with this trip. And we were pretty confined to the same van for a long…
Thank you, Senator Curtis, and it was truly a joy to travel with you.
This was not luxurious travel. We were getting tired of each other's odor by the time we got done with this trip. And we were pretty confined to the same van for a long period of time. But it was very impressive on us, I think, the images that we took away.
I think, you know, a lot of times, we think about things and everything here, and I think the questions we have here in the United States about, man, we have our own issues, we have our own budgetary issues, and we have our own fiscal issues that we need to deal with here--and all of those are very true, and all of those are very valid questions for Americans to be asking, including myself. But when you realize what is actually going on there on the ground; you realize the spirit of these people that did nothing wrong, that were minding their own business and had their own country attacked, had a democracy that they valued, that they cherished and had that attempted to be run over the top of; and you realize what is the difference--the reason they have been able to surprise everybody on the field is the spirit that they have and the belief that people like ourselves, people that believe in democracies, are going to be there to help and support them.
Well, I tell you what, they have surprised us all because of their passion, their belief in democracy, and what they know to be true versus what they are being told by Russians.
So it is impossible--that is the second time I have gotten to go to Ukraine--it is impossible to miss the spirit of these people and how badly they want to defend their own democracy and not be told somebody else's version of the world but their own open, free perspective of the world.
But despite that issue, there are also some very important things that we as the United States should be taking from this, and we have a great opportunity to do so. This war is different than any war that has been before us. This is modern warfare with AI involved in it, with very low-cost weaponry involved in it, and I think a display that we had better pay attention to of very--in the business world that I come from, we would call this continuous improvement on steroids. This is every day a feedback loop right back into their drone development systems every day about how to get better, how to improve their communication with their drones, and they have done a remarkable job.
If you think about the static approach that we have today to war and defense and how long it takes us to develop and to acquire our acquisition systems, that is no match for a group of people that have the spirit that they do and for a continuous improvement process that is being developed. They are giving us the opportunity to experience that without having to put our lives on the line, and we better take advantage and we better be listening and learning from their experience.
We better take seriously an opportunity that we have to help our allies to defend democracy in a place that desperately wants it. This isn't a matter of us not knowing what things will be like after we leave; this is an area that has a democracy, a stable democracy, and we need to be there to support it and show how much we care.
I have about 10 pounds of potatoes here for a 5-pound bag, but I am going to turn it back to Senator Tillis as well. So a lot of great observations we had.
Well, we certainly learned that on the very frontline, Ukrainians are doing a great job of actually way outperforming the Russians on the frontline. But the thing they are not capable today of defending themselves from are the ballistic missiles and the jet- powered drones that they don't--the Ukrainians don't have the capabilities of building interceptors for that.
So you sit there on the frontlines with a lot of death going on and destruction among soldiers, but meanwhile, you have, every night while we were there, air raid sirens continuously.
And so you think about the impact on the people there. So they are really sitting there somewhat defenseless with drones in the air every night and ballistic missiles.
And so what I think we can do is they do need air defense interceptors; they need spare parts and ammunition that assist in the defense of their lands and their citizens, and they need them consistently.
And so that is one reason that I support the bipartisan Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine's Defense Act. That is S. 5175. This legislation would make it easier for NATO allies and other designated partners to purchase and transfer certain defensive munitions to Ukraine while maintaining congressional notification safeguards against unauthorized retransfer.
So this cannot be an American effort alone. Our European allies have an enormous stake, and they understand that and they should continue to carry more of the burden. But S. 5175 is actually designed to help them do that, and it welcomes greater allied investment in the American defense base and creates a more predictable pathway for our allies and partners to provide Ukraine with specified American-made munitions.
And so I would just say that that is, you know, we do--the Europeans are stepping up. I would say that is one thing that has come very positive out of that--they understand that--but we need to be taking the actions if we expect them to be aligned with us on the weaponry. And the weaponry they use, we need to make sure we are adequately providing it to them so they can help support Ukraine as well.
So that is one of the particular actions I think we need to take as well.
Mr. President, I would just add--and Senator Tillis mentioned this--the Ukrainians are worn out. They have been fighting this war. Those on the frontline have been fighting this war for a long time, and you realize how much it means to them that we are there.
I think the sanctions bill that was passed is a huge signal that the United States is still behind them, but they desperately need that. They need to show that we care.
I don't know how many times I told somebody: Listen, if you drove through a neighborhood where I am from some, you will see plenty of blue and yellow flags supporting you. So don't misunderstand that America wants to see you be successful, and we are working hard to make sure that we help you and we provide the resources for you.
They are counting on us to be behind them, and we need to follow through on that support.