[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 1, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING YANINA NICKLESS AS STATE OF THE UNION GUEST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 1, 2022

  Ms. PINGREE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Yanina Nickless, 
who is my invited guest for President Biden's 2022 State of the Union 
address. Yanina lives in my district, but her family is home in Ukraine 
fighting for their lives and for democracy amid Russian invasion.
  For the past week, Vladimir Putin has attempted to violently 
overthrow a sovereign democracy. But it's the countless examples of 
courage by Ukrainians like Yanina's family that has united the free 
world--rallying behind democracy and against autocracy--as the Ukraine 
people defend their homeland. As Yanina told me, ``Every day I wake up, 
I hope my parents wake up too. I'm staying strong for them and for my 
country and I believe in the USA and in the world. Thank you, 
Congresswoman Pingree and President Biden, for not being silent and for 
supporting a democracy in Ukraine. Ukrainians will never forget.''
  It is truly an honor to have Yanina join me tonight as President 
Biden further unites our nation with his State of the Union address. 
Yanina and her family's heartbreaking story deserves to be heard on the 
global stage--joining a chorus of courage in the fight for freedom. 
Under President Biden's leadership, the U.S. stands firmly against 
Russia's unprovoked war.

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