[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 153 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                UKRAINE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on one final matter, the Senate Select 
Committee on Intelligence has long worked on a bipartisan basis in 
secure settings out of the public spotlight to conduct critically 
important oversight of classified and sensitive matters. So I have been 
disappointed to see our colleague, the Democratic leader, choose to 
politicize the committee's ongoing efforts with respect to a recent 
whistleblower allegation--the special subject of which is still 
unknown.
  As my friend Senator Schumer is aware, Chairman Burr and Vice 
Chairman Warner have been working together to get the Acting Director 
of Intelligence and the intelligence community's inspector general 
before the committee this week to discuss the matter. As with most 
matters before the committee, I believe it is extremely important that 
their work be handled in a secure setting with adequate protections, in 
a bipartisan fashion, and based on facts rather than leaks to the 
press.
  It is regrettable House Intelligence Committee Chairman Schiff and 
Senator Schumer have chosen to politicize the issue, circumventing the 
established procedures and protocols that exist so the committees can 
pursue sensitive matters in the appropriate, deliberate, bipartisan 
manner.
  Although we don't know the substance of the allegations, there is 
speculation that it relates to our relationship with Ukraine. For my 
part, as I stated earlier this month, I was very glad to see the White 
House release security assistance funds for Ukraine.

  I championed U.S. security assistance to Ukraine over the objections 
of the Obama administration in 2014 and have consistently believed in 
the importance of helping our Ukrainian partners defend their territory 
against Russian aggression. In fact, I had been personally pressing 
them to release security assistance funding for several months to 
ensure the United States did not walk back our important commitments to 
Ukraine.
  On two occasions I raised the need to keep our commitment to Ukraine 
with the Secretary of Defense, expressing my interest in seeing this 
money be released to help our Ukrainian partners. I raised it with the 
Secretary of State. My staff also engaged senior officials at the 
Pentagon, at the State Department, at the National Security Council, 
and at the Office of Management and Budget. I also worked closely with 
Senator Graham on the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations 
Subcommittee and Chairman Shelby.
  Throughout July, August, and early September, I worked hard to ensure 
that Ukraine received this much-needed assistance. That is because, 
going back years, I have urged administrations of both parties to be 
completely clear-eyed about the dangerous intentions of Putin's Russia 
and the importance of standing with Ukraine.
  I sounded the alarm early and often when President Obama went soft on 
Putin and missed opportunities to send arms to Ukraine, and during the 
Trump administration, I have been a strong supporter of its efforts to 
provide defensive lethal weapons to Ukraine and to Georgia.
  As I have said repeatedly, Russia poses a significant threat to U.S. 
interests. The best way to contest Putin and his hegemonic aspirations 
is to rebuild our defenses, work closely with our allies and partners, 
and improve the capacity of those threatened by Moscow to defend 
themselves.
  I am grateful that security assistance has finally been released to 
help our friends in Ukraine defend themselves. Now the task falls on us 
to pass a Defense bill and make the necessary investment in modernizing 
our own military to ensure America's preeminent position in the world 
and to deter challenge from adversaries like Russia and China.

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