WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement on his vote to approve defense spending amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine:
“Given current Congressional leadership, it is not surprising the Ukraine supplemental is far from perfect. Most disappointing, the spending is not offset when hundreds of billions of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill is still available. But I could not let perfect be the enemy of the necessary. The war in Ukraine is an unprovoked atrocity against a nation that posed no threat to Russia. Vladimir Putin’s naked aggression cannot be tolerated or rewarded by indifference by western democracies. The human toll is already incalculable and the cost of rebuilding Ukraine will be measured in the hundreds of billions. World food security is also significantly threatened as the war drags on. Also, a large part of the spending will be allocated to replenishing U.S. military stockpiles to maintain our nation’s readiness and security. We must provide courageous Ukrainians with the economic and military assistance they need to defend their families and freedom and give them the capacity to bring this war to an end.”
