Senator Lummis Demands US Aid for Ukraine Not Attached To $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill
Senator Cynthia Lummis recently spoke on the Senate floor to protest the manner in which financial aid to Ukraine was combined with the Biden Administration's Omnibus Bill.
Speaking to her colleagues, Lummis stated that Ukraine deserve its own bill, apart from the $1.5 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill.
"I have been following, just as you have, the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and I'm incredibly concerned for te people there," Lummis stated. "The women and children who've been murdered in the streets by Vladimir Putin's bombs, the houses complexes that have been destroyed, the maternity hospital that was bombed just yesterday; all from unprovoked Russian aggression. We want to help these people. The people of Wyoming who I represent want to help these people. Because of this, I was particularly appalled at the decision by the congressional Democrats to include Ukraine funding in the massive government funded Omnibus bill that we're starting to consider."
Lummis stated that by combining the two bills, the Senate is delaying funds that could be sent to Ukraine.
"We could get this Ukraine money on its way today," she said. "We could get it to the president's desk today. Most of us agree...I think it would be unanimous to send the money to Ukraine."
Lummis said that this type of legislation is forcing members of Congress to have to choose between helping Ukraine and further indebting the American people.
"It's a cynical ploy and it's cynical because of what's in the rest of the bill," Lummis said. "At a time when the United States is over $30 trillion in debt, instead of taking a serious look at our budget, we're piling on. We're increasing non-defense discretionary spending by 7% even though inflation this year is more than 7%. The Omnibus continues to fund President Biden's vaccine mandates, even after the president himself called for a 'return to normal.'"
Lummis said the Omnibus Bill also includes anti-Second Amendment provisions "that threaten the rights of law abiding citizens in Wyoming."
She also said that the bill contains nearly $10 billion-worth in earmarks for "pet projects around the country."
"But instead of having a debate about these and other concerns of the massive spending bill, Ukraine funding was dropped in here in an effort to get members to vote for a bad bill so we can get funding to Ukraine."
Lummis said Congress should have a standalone vote on the aid for the people of Ukraine and that it should be entirely separate from the voting on the Omnibus Bill.
"Anything less does a disservice to the people we're trying to help and to the American people we serve," Lummis concluded.