Austin News

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke on the floor about the House of Representatives considering legislation to support Ukraine's fight against Russia, emphasizing the importance of renewing the lend-lease authority. Senator Cornyn highlighted the need for bipartisan support for Ukraine and addressed concerns over the cost of assistance.

“The House is working on ideas that include a number of policies that were not part of the Senate’s legislation. One of them is called the REPO Act – REPO for Ukrainians Act – which would repurpose seized Russian assets to help finance aid for Ukraine,” said Senator Cornyn.

Expressing his support for the House's potential inclusion of language to extend the lend-lease authority, Senator Cornyn stated, “This authority was created as pertains to Ukraine by legislation I introduced with Senator Cardin, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, which became the law nearly two years ago.”

Acknowledging the bipartisan consensus on supporting Ukraine, Senator Cornyn also addressed concerns about the cost of assistance. “There’s broad bipartisan agreement that America should continue to support Ukraine, but there’s also a growing concern over the cost of that assistance… That’s a concern that I share, which is why I introduced the modern Lend-Lease Act,” he said.

Regarding the lend-lease program, Senator Cornyn clarified, “Lend-lease is not a blank check. It gives the administration the option to lease or rent defense articles to Ukraine. It would allow us to answer Ukraine’s call to provide more of what they need and ensure it’s done in a more fiscally responsible way.”

In conclusion, Senator Cornyn urged the House to pass a security bill encompassing both the lend-lease extension and the REPO Act and send it back to the Senate promptly.