Hoyer: We Are America, and We Will Not Allow Putin to Win By Intimidation.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks in support of the amendment by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) regarding the United States' contribution to the infrastructure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the House Appropriations Full Committee Markup of the FY26 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Bill and Subcommittee Allocations. Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:
Click here for a full video of his remarks.
“Chairman, I rise in strong support of the administration's judgment. Do any of you care? This is an important amendment. This is not just a throwaway. [Neville] Chamberlain thought his actions were just a throwaway, maybe buy some time. I wear this pin every day. I think America's freedom; I think democracy's success is at stake.
“Many of you have fought in the military, and had we met the enemy strongly at the beginning, we may never have had the fight. That's what ‘peace through strength’ means. Strength is not retreating in the face of your enemy. Strength is not saying, ‘We'll give up Eastern Ukraine.’ Strength is not saying, ‘We'll give up, Crimea.’ Strength is not saying, ‘Whatever you want to do, Mr. Putin, you go ahead and do.’ In this case, the administration has said, as Ms. Pingree has pointed out, ‘We're going to keep our NATO commitments as we expect you to do, and as 23 of the 28 NATO nations is doing.’
"This is not simply some throwaway amendment that all of you will vote no, and all of us will vote yes, and, well, we did our job. People are watching us. And some of those people live in Russia. Some of those people live in the Kremlin. Some of those people live in Iran. Some live in North Korea. Some live in China. They're watching. Does America have the stomach to stay the course? Does America have the stomach to confront despotism and dictators, and those who steal children from countries and take them to their own? Are we unwilling? Are we unable because we're so partisan to respond to that viewing? To say America is strong, and America will stay in with its allies, and America stands against despotism and dictatorship and aggression and criminal behavior on the international level; are we so partisan that we cannot even discuss and come to a rational judgment on that?
“I've had very long talks with Senator McConnell, and he and I are both very worried that we have somehow forgotten the lessons of history. Forgotten the lessons of weakness, forgotten why we say peace for strength. When I came to Congress in 1981, I supported almost every one of Ronald Reagan's buildup of the Defense Department. Not in a partisan way, but in a nonpartisan way. John Kennedy, when I was a young man, said, ‘We have a missile gap.’ He was wrong, but what he was saying is, we're going to keep pace. We're going to confront our enemies. Do not believe America is going to slink away. And don't believe America is going to give up its allies' territory to a thief in violation of international law. Ladies and gentlemen, we are the Congress of the United States, and yes, we're Democrats, and yes, we're Republicans. But, by golly, I hope we remember that we are Americans first and that we are the leader of the free world and we will not sound this uncertain trumpet tonight. That maybe we'll stick with the administration in this case and send that message to NATO, to Russia, to Iran, to North Korea, and to China.
“America, as Ronald Reagan said, is prepared and will out compete you. Right now, the Russians in four months, in three months, excuse me, are producing more weapons, more artillery, more ordinance than all of NATO, America, and Canada combined can produce in a year. Let us not retreat. Let us stand up and say, ‘We are America, and we will not allow you to win by intimidation, by threat, by breaking international law.’ Let us stand as the world's leader. Vote Aye.”