Political Quotes

“I think it is important to point out in this amendment that our allies have very much stepped up in the war in Ukraine. This was about a week ago now. The stats may be a little bit different. The United States actually ranks 13th in terms of percentage of GDP that we have committed to help Ukraine. That means of our 53 partners, 12 others have been doing more than we have. My biggest concern about this amendment is twofold. One, it undermines that level of support and seems to imply that our allies are not doing that. Second, along with several other amendments here, it can be interpreted as being anti-NATO. I am worried more about the other amendments than I am worried about this one, but make no mistake about it, the NATO alliance has served the United States' interests very, very well for its--quick math off the top of my head--roughly 75- plus years of existence, and we should not be undermining that. This particular amendment, not as problematic, but the idea that our allies are not contributing or the idea that the U.S. doesn't benefit from our contribution, I think, is mistaken, based on our place in the world. Right now, as we look to confront Russia and China, nothing is more important than our allies and partners. We need to work with them to build the coalition that is going to be able to stand up for a rules- based international order and for the peaceful resolution of our differences.…”