Statement on the Invasion of Ukraine

Statement by Congressman McClintock on the Invasion of Ukraine:

The Invasion of Ukraine
Congressman Tom McClintock
February 25, 2022

Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine is an affront to all humanity and a direct threat to the freedom and security of Europe. The bravery of Ukrainians from all walks of life stepping into mortal peril to defend their families, their country and, above all, their liberty, is an inspiration and exemplar for all people in all lands in all times.

Putin feels unconstrained by civilized norms and international law. His territorial ambition will not be satiated with Ukraine but will continue until it becomes a security issue for the United States.

Europe needs to mobilize militarily and cut off all commerce with Russia. Yet so far, the European nations have balked even at removing Russia from the SWIFT banking system because it would damage their economies, even while decimating Russia's.

What can the United States do?

Most immediately, all forces resisting Russian aggression should have the lethal aid they need to fight in every manner they can. The Obama administration refused it; the Trump administration provided it. The Biden administration was advised to offer lend-lease assistance to Ukraine of retiring U.S. military aircraft months ago.

The administration must end its war on fossil fuels that has made European nations vassals to Russian oil and gas. During the Trump administration, the United States was producing 13 million barrels per day and had become a net energy exporter. Under Biden, U.S. production is 11 million barrels. Biden's cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline stopped 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil from entering American markets while we now import nearly 600,000 barrels per day – FROM RUSSIA. Meanwhile, Europe needs to restore its coal, oil and gas production and rapidly expand its nuclear power.

This is not a call to war with Russia. It is a wake-up call that America is growing dangerously vulnerable in an increasingly violent and unstable world. The unconditional surrender to the Taliban and the debacle that followed, and our own unwillingness to defend our southern border against two million illegal border crossings last year, have fundamentally altered the calculations of both allies and adversaries around the world.

Years of reckless spending have racked up a national debt larger than we incurred after exhausting our resources fighting World War II. Years of socialist policies have hollowed out our economy and wrecked our currency. The collapse of our southern border has introduced millions of unvetted foreign nationals into our communities. The introduction of woke ideologues into our military leadership has diverted our armed forces from their sole mission of prevailing in an armed conflict.

We are speeding into an ominous future while undermining our nation's ability to survive and triumph in such a world. History warns us that countries that bankrupt themselves or cannot defend their own borders aren't around very long. We must secure our own border, revive our economy, focus our national spending priorities on defense and restore our military to its singular mission: victory.

If the current threat to European security expands to become a threat to American security, we must be ready to confront it, contain it, and if necessary, defeat it. But the hour is late.