Barbara Lee: “The OSCE is the world's largest regional security organization and has been critical in addressing the violent…”

“The OSCE is the world's largest regional security organization and has been critical in addressing the violent aggression of Russia. The OSCE is actively engaged in conflict prevention, conventional arms control, peacekeeping, promoting good governance and human rights, rule-of-law programming, also border security measures, counternarcotics work, efforts to combat organized crime, anticorruption and anti-money laundering activities, and election support. The OSCE is currently leading a Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. This mission is an unarmed civilian mission tasked to observe and to report on the situation resulting from ongoing Russian aggression to facilitate dialogue among all parties to restore peace, p-e-a-c-e, and to monitor and support the implementation of the cease- fire and other tenets of the Minsk peace agreements. It is the only nonpartisan international body that maintains a continuous presence at the line of contact between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine. Peace in Ukraine, that is p-e-a-c-e, will be through organizations like the OSCE. I am completely perplexed by my colleagues and can't figure out why they would not find this a good investment of taxpayer dollars. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).”