[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 24 (Monday, February 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H686-H687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FUNDING UKRAINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Gaetz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GAETZ. Madam Speaker, how much more for Ukraine? Is there any 
limit? Which billionth dollar really kicks in the door? Which redline 
that we set will we not later cross?
  China reminds us that we have real issues. China began its offensive 
against our homeland by infiltrating our universities, stealing our 
innovations, buying off our politicians, and surveilling our citizens, 
all the while capturing the loyalty of America's most powerful 
corporations. China's influence is overtaking ours, even in our own 
hemisphere.
  Our conflict with China may turn very hot very soon. Many believe we 
are currently in the window of a possible invasion of Taiwan. If not 
deterred, such an invasion would immediately make life worse for 
virtually every American.
  Tomorrow, President Biden will tell us how much more we must do for 
Ukraine. Look around your house. How much stuff is made in Ukraine or 
even Russia, for that matter? Next, do China. If you are watching this 
speech on a smartphone, you are likely using Taiwanese technology.
  So why Ukraine, a country that just rounded up dozens of senior 
leaders in its government over overt corruption? Perhaps the answer is 
as simple as the Hunter Biden life motto: a grifter's gotta grift.
  The amount of money we now pour into Ukraine makes Burisma's wildest 
dreams of wealth through Biden family influence seem meek by 
comparison.
  Defense contractors need there to be a war going on somewhere, 
whether the arms end up in the hands of ISIS, the Taliban, the Azov 
battalion, or on the black market. They get rich in the business of 
weapons supply, but only when there is weapons demand.
  A serious nation would never let foreign interests abroad or special 
interests here at home dictate its foreign policy. The interests of our 
countrymen must morally compel our greater attention. As the war slogs 
on in Ukraine, the benefits to Americans are unclear.
  Bandits in the Sinaloa mountains hurt more Americans than the men in 
Crimea, but foreigners come to Washington to lecture us about spending 
our constituents' money on a conflict thousands of miles away, and my 
colleagues are eager to oblige.
  On this floor, Zelenskyy's demands got bipartisan standing ovations--
from most. Stingers, HIMARS, tanks, at first, we said no to all of 
these things. President Biden even said that some of these things might 
lead to world war III, yet we sent all of them.
  F-16s are likely still. Lockheed Martin sure is confident that 
Ukraine will get F-16s. They told the Financial Times recently that 
they are already ramping up production. Create the demand; provide the 
supply.
  This is escalating. We are placing trust in leaders who do not 
deserve trust.
  John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman who assured us the Afghan military 
would withstand the Taliban offensive, now says that there is no risk 
that Putin will go nuclear.
  The risk of miscalculation in Ukraine is much, much higher than 
getting it wrong in Afghanistan. A nuclear war between Russia and the 
United States would end human life as we know it.

                              {time}  1215

  Yet, President Biden is doing everything possible to provoke such a 
disaster.
  And for what?
  The actions we are taking are not going to end the war in Ukraine. In 
fact, we are probably prolonging the killing. Tens of thousands of 
Ukrainians and Russians will die this year because Congress feels good 
when it sends instruments of death and billions in cash.

[[Page H687]]

  Many dollars meant for the war in Afghanistan ended up in bank 
accounts in Switzerland and Dubai.
  To where will we trace the bounty of the Ukrainian grift?
  This war could end tomorrow if we pursue negotiation, but Biden 
refuses. Not only do we arm the Ukrainian military, we pay their 
politicians' salaries. The $113 billion in aid included funding of the 
Ukrainian Government.
  We can and must push for peace. You don't really hear that from many 
people these days with the exception of President Trump. Trump is right 
to recognize that we are on the brink of world war III and that 
immediate action for peace is necessary to stop disaster.
  Unfortunately, there is a bipartisan coalition working to continue 
the war. When Elon Musk proposed a peace plan, Nikki Haley attacked him 
saying that we ``shouldn't push our weight on them.''
  This is, of course, nonsense. We have pushed billions of dollars on 
them. We can simultaneously pressure North Korea and China from 
supplying Russia, and we ought to do so.

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