Hal Rogers: “I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to again rise in support of this bill, H.R.…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to again rise in support of this bill, H.R. 4152, a bill that I did introduce and that the House originally passed almost a month ago to provide loan guarantees for Ukraine. The bill has now come back to us from the Senate, as has been said, with additional authorizations for security and democracy assistance. It also sends, I think, a very clear message that the United States will not tolerate the Russian incursion into Ukraine, human rights abuses, or corruption by imposing sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes. {time} 1615 As we all know, Ukraine is facing an extraordinarily difficult economic situation. The International Monetary Fund has now said they will step in with a financing package, but the United States and our partners must also help during this time of need. By giving the administration the ability to provide loan guarantees from funds already appropriated, this bill will provide some stability for Ukraine throughout this tumultuous time. This is a critical bill at an important moment. The Congress must stand with the government of Ukraine. We must get this bill passed and to the President's desk as soon as possible. We have already waited too long while other issues, such as the IMF, got unnecessarily entangled with aid and sanctions proposals. Mr. Speaker, we must pass this bill today and I hope overwhelmingly. I urge a ``yes'' vote.”