On the recordMarch 9, 2022
I recently attended a gathering of the local Ukrainian-American community in my district. I heard so many heartbreaking accounts. One man, Joe Galazin, told me about his wife, Elena, their two kids, 9-year-old Olesya and 16-year-old Dinillo. The children were expecting to start school soon in the same Pennsylvania public schools where my two children went many years ago. Instead, they got trapped in Kharkiv. Unable to get out before the bombs began raining down, they found refuge in a bomb shelter. My office is in communication with the family--they are in a holding pattern in Lviv, uncertain of how or when they will be able to make the increasingly dangerous trip to the Polish border. These children will never be able to unsee the devastation they witnessed. They know that relatives who had to stay behind may lose their lives. Why? Because of this completely unprovoked, illegal invasion, and these air strikes on civilians who simply want to live in peace. The injustice is overwhelming. We must redouble our efforts to support the Ukrainian people in this fight for their sovereignty. ____________________
