Voting to Expedite Military Defense Assistance to Ukraine
Dear Friend, This week, I spoke from the House floor and then voted on my bill to expedite military assistance to Ukraine using the lend-lease model devised by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to protect Britain in World War II. I also voted to authorize the President to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs and use them to help defend Ukraine and rebuild once the war is over. As Co-Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I also met with the Presidents of Georgia and Kosovo, both concerned about Putin's ambitions regarding their countries. During a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, I thanked him for his department's assistance in bringing eight Ukrainian refugee children to St. Jude Children's Medical Center for much needed medical treatment. I also announced a significant research grant to St. Jude; expressed concern about wild horses dying of a mysterious illness in Colorado at a Natural Resources Committee hearing; supported calls for ethical guidelines for U.S. Supreme Court justices; commemorated the Holocaust Days of Remembrance and Yom HaShoah; announced a Department of Labor youth apprenticeships grant; and offered a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens. Speaking on and Voting to Expedite Military Defense Assistance to Ukraine Voting to Seize and Repurpose the Assets of Russian Oligarchs Meeting with the Presidents of Georgia and Kosovo Questioning Homeland Security Secretary about Ukrainian Refugee Children Brought to St. Jude Urging Humane Treatment of Western Wild Horse Populations Questioning Experts on Restoring Confidence in the Supreme Court Commemorating Holocaust Days of Remembrance and Yom HaShoah Announcing $1.5 Million YouthBuild Apprenticeship Grant Announcing Grant to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Speaking on and Voting to Expedite Military Defense Assistance to Ukraine
On Thursday, I spoke from the House floor and then voted for the bipartisan Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act that I introduced last month in the House with Congressman Joe Wilson. The measure expedites the supply of defense equipment to Ukraine by removing bureaucratic barriers. See my release, including my floor speech, here. On Wednesday night, I had dinner with visiting members of the Ukrainian parliament and had a lively discussion about their nation's struggles and future.
Congressmen Cohen, Lloyd Doggett and Joe Wilson met with members of the Ukrainian Parliament Voting to Seize Assets of Oligarchs On Wednesday, as an original cosponsor of the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act, a founding member of the Caucus against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy, and sponsor of similar legislation, I was pleased to vote for legislation to ask the President to seize the ill-gotten gains of Russian oligarchs and repurpose them to help with Ukraine's defense and reconstruction. See my release here. Meeting with the Presidents of Georgia and Kosovo
Congressman Cohen and President Sadriu of Kosovo On Thursday, I had lunch with Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili and later met with President Osmani-Sadriu of Kosovo. As Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, it is important for me to have a deep and nuanced understanding of these and other European countries' pressing issues, especially in wake of Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Both expressed concerns about Putin's ambitions to overrun their countries. These were very productive meetings. Questioning Homeland Security Secretary about Ukrainian Refugee Children Brought to St. Jude
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared at an oversight hearing Thursday before the Judiciary Committee. I took the opportunity to thank him and his department for their role in bringing Ukrainian refugee children to Memphis for treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I also asked him about the status of the department's efforts to reunite children and parents separated under the Trump administration's heartless policy. See my release and my exchange with the Secretary here. Urging Humane Treatment of Western Wild Horse Populations
Advocates for wild horses and burros were in Washington this week and I spoke at their luncheon on Wednesday. On Thursday, I spoke at a Committee on Natural Resources hearing about my concern about an outbreak of an unknown disease at a Bureau of Land Management wild horse facility in Colorado. See my release about the hearing here. Questioning Experts on Restoring Confidence in the Supreme Court
As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday I questioned expert witnesses at a Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet hearing on "Building Confidence in the Supreme Court through Ethics and Recusal Reform." As I said at the hearing, everyone should agree that the Supreme Court should work within ethical guidelines. See my release and my questions to the expert witnesses here. Commemorating Holocaust Days of Remembrance and Yom HaShoah All week, we have been commemorating the Holocaust Days of Remembrance that preceded and follow the commemoration of Yom HaShoah, which began Wednesday at sundown and ended the following sundown. See my release on the observances here. Announcing $1.5 Million YouthBuild Apprenticeship Grant
On Friday, I announced that the South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corporation will receive a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Labor's YouthBuild program for apprenticeship training for underserved young people. See my release here. Announcing Grant to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital got a substantial grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases this week to study antibiotic tolerance. See my release here. You may have read this week that three in five Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, but you have also seen the outbreaks reported in China where whole cities are being locked down. It is best to err on the side of precaution and get booster shots and wear masks when inside among strangers. Some good news this week is that a vaccine for young children appears to be on the way. "The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen." -- President Biden on Thursday after sending Congress a $33 billion request for assistance to Ukraine. As always, I remain. Steve Cohen | ||
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