[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 23 (Thursday, February 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1449. Mr. LEE (for himself and Mr. Braun) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1388 submitted by Mrs. Murray
(for herself and Mr. Schumer) and intended to be proposed to the bill
H.R. 815, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain
improvements relating to the eligibility of veterans to receive
reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished through the Veterans
Community Care program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to
lie on the table; as follows:
In division A, strike section 704 and insert the
following:
SEC. 704. REPORT WITH UKRAINE STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Only 2 percent of the amounts appropriated
or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance to
Ukraine may be obligated or expended until the President, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary
of State, develops and submits to Congress a comprehensive
report that contains a strategy for United States involvement
in Ukraine.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a)
shall--
(1) define the United States national interests at stake
with respect to the conflict between the Russian Federation
and Ukraine;
(2) identify specific objectives the President believes
must be achieved in Ukraine in order to protect the United
States national interests defined in paragraph (1), and for
each objective--
(A) an estimate of the amount of time required to achieve
the objective, with an explanation;
(B) benchmarks to be used by the President to determine
whether an objective has been met, is in the progress of
being met, or cannot be met in the time estimated to be
required in subparagraph (A); and
(C) estimates of the amount of resources, including United
States personnel, materiel, and funding, required to achieve
the objective;
(3) list the expected contribution for security assistance
made by European member countries of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization within the next fiscal year; and
(4) provide an assessment of the impact of the Russian
Federation's dominance of the natural gas market in Europe on
the ability to resolve the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
(c) Requirements for Strategy.--The strategy included in
the report required under subsection (a)--
(1) shall be designed to achieve a cease-fire in which the
Russian Federation and Ukraine agree to abide by the terms
and conditions of such cease-fire; and
(2) may not be contingent on United States involvement of
funding of Ukrainian reconstruction.
(d) Form.--The report required by subsection (a)--
(1) shall be submitted in an unclassified form; and
(2) shall include a classified annex if necessary to
provide the most holistic picture of information to Congress
as required under this section.
(e) Congress Defined.--In this section, the term
``Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(3) any Member of Congress upon request.
______