Today, Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released the following statement after the Committee held a classified, bipartisan briefing with officials from the Department of State, Department of Defense, and U.S. Agency for International Development, on the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity:
“Under President Biden’s leadership, the United States has led the NATO Alliance and the world to respond with astonishing speed to Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and to provide urgently needed security and humanitarian assistance to the frontlines. As Chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that Putin and his enablers are held accountable for Russia’s blatant violation of international law, and that U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine is used effectively and efficiently to advance our national security and foreign policy interests.
“I also applaud the State Department’s public announcement today that American diplomats have raised the flag again over U.S. Embassy Kyiv. The return of our diplomats to Embassy Kyiv is an important symbol of America’s commitment to the people of Ukraine and to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression.”
The following Administration officials provided today’s briefing:
- Ms. Laura K. Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Department of Defense
- Ms. Robin L. Dunnigan, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State
- Ms. Sarah Charles, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development
Since February 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration has provided more than $3.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, as well as more than $688 million in humanitarian assistance. On May 10, 2022, the House of Representatives passed legislation to provide $40 billion in additional assistance to Ukraine.
The Oversight Committee has taken several actions to hold Vladimir Putin and his enablers accountable for Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war.
On March 21, 2022, Chairwoman Maloney introduced legislation to prohibit the U.S. Government from conducting business with companies operating in Russia. Shortly thereafter, Chairwoman Maloney and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Stephen F. Lynch launched an investigation into Credit Suisse’s compliance with U.S. and international sanctions imposed on Russia for its unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
Also in March, Chairman Lynch led a Congressional Delegation to Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Austria to observe the humanitarian impacts of Vladimir Putin’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine firsthand and to demonstrate the United States’ unwavering support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance and the people of Ukraine.
On May 12, 2022, Chairwoman Maloney, Chairman Lynch, Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber Subcommittee Chairman William Keating sent letters to Meta, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, urging the social media platforms to preserve and archive content shared on their platforms that could potentially be used as evidence of Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities in Ukraine.
Original source can be found here.
