WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a speech brimming with frustration and passion, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) echoed the urgency of aid to Ukraine on the House floor Thursday. Her words strung together a tale – one of solidarity and duty, interspersed with accusations of neglect and apathy towards a nation under siege.
In the past, the US has been quick to answer calls for assistance, Houlahan argued, crediting President Joe Biden’s leadership. She recounted standing with President Zelensky, warning him of an impending attack, sharing intelligence, and alerting the world to the threat. The US had stepped up, offering aid in the wake of the attack, providing additional resources, and supplying advanced weaponry.
However, the story takes an alarming turn. As Russian forces retreated, and more areas teetered on the brink of liberation, the pleas for support from Ukraine remained unanswered. With Ukraine’s ammunition dwindling, the US has been alarmingly quiet on the aid front. It is this silence that transformed Houlahan’s pride in her country into anger.
Houlahan took the opportunity to chastise Speaker Johnson and Congress who, in her view, have been negligent in supporting Ukraine. This inaction, she explained, puts not only the US but the entire world at risk.
Woven into the narrative, Houlahan draws parallels to the horrors of history and her family’s personal story. Her father’s birthplace was Lviv, a city that once belonged to Poland and is now part of Ukraine. Born in 1942 during the Second World War, her father lost his father, her grandfather, and almost his entire immediate family during the Holocaust.
This family history serves to highlight the catastrophic consequences of turning a blind eye to the tyranny of war, a mistake the US made in 1939. Houlahan claims that millions of lives were lost due to the US’s hesitancy to intervene. She uses this history to underline the importance of the US’s role in curbing such atrocities.
She was quick to point out that this aid to Ukraine isn’t a handout, but rather an investment supporting American businesses and advancing military technology. It also comes with no American service members being deployed to Ukraine, maintaining American life.
The plea, however, isn’t a blind one. Houlahan accused Congress, and more specifically the House and Speaker Johnson, of failing to support Ukraine, thereby putting the US and the world in jeopardy.
To her colleagues who might have forgotten, she offered a grim reminder of the chaos that ensues when Europe falls to war. She chastised them for wasting precious time on votes that stand no chance in the Senate, when they could be passing Ukraine aid.
She maintained that if the aid bill were brought to a vote, it would pass the House and Senate with bipartisan support, and certainly be signed into law by President Biden.
The failure to bring this vote forward, Houlahan argued, is denying the US the opportunity to support Ukraine and defeat Putin. It’s less about the nation’s standing and more about preserving a democratic world order and lasting peace.
With a resolve shaped by service and love for her country, Houlahan stands in the face of what she sees as undemocratic practices by Speaker Johnson. The situation, she says, is reminiscent of 1939, and she insists that it’s not an exaggeration.
As the House prepares to adjourn without passing Ukraine aid, Houlahan pointed out the Democrats would not hesitate were they in control. Her plea, a call for action against the backdrop of history, ended with a demand for a vote, reminding us all that inaction can often have the heaviest of consequences.
VIDEO: Houlahan Delivers Passionate Speech Advocating for Ukraine Aid
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