April 20, 2024
Dear Friends,
Earlier this year, we marked the second anniversary of the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s brutal, unprovoked war of aggression against our allies in Ukraine. With the help of vital U.S. aid, the Ukrainian people have shown incredible courage and resilience in withstanding the Russian onslaught for more than two years. But now, as that lifeline of American assistance begins to run out, Ukraine is facing a moment of great peril.
For months, my Democratic colleagues and I have recognized the dire situation in Ukraine, and we’ve been working tirelessly to provide our allies with the continued assistance they need to keep up the defense of their homeland. But time and again, House Republicans have blocked these efforts, leaving Ukraine vulnerable at a time when solidarity and support are of paramount importance. The Ukrainian people are out of time, and House Republicans are out of excuses. The time to act is now.
Since Putin first launched his vicious invasion, Democrats in Congress have worked to advance several aid packages to bolster Ukraine’s defenses and support the Ukrainian civilians whose lives have been upended by this war. Taken together, the bills signed into law by President Biden have provided $113 billion in critical military, humanitarian, and economic assistance for Ukraine — assistance that has been instrumental in enabling them to hold Russian forces at bay. Thanks to our efforts, America has kept its promises and maintained its role as a global defender of democracy. But it is now clearer than ever that without continued U.S. aid, Ukraine cannot hold out much longer.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the lack of certainty surrounding continued U.S. support has left his military unable to plan any counteroffensive operations. “If there is no U.S. support,” he said, “it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles…it means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps.” That retreat has already begun, as a critical shortage of ammunition on the front lines has forced Ukrainian troops to withdraw from major cities and build new defensive lines deeper inside their own territory. With Ukrainian supplies and morale waning, our promise to stand by our allies “for as long as it takes” has begun to ring hollow.
The Senate finally took action earlier this year, advancing a package containing $60 billion in new assistance for Ukraine by a wide bipartisan margin of 70-29. But shamefully, Speaker Johnson and his far-right allies prioritized politics over America’s national security interests, refusing to even bring the bill to the House floor for a vote and stalling urgently needed aid for weeks.
Now more than ever, the stakes are too high for political gamesmanship. This week, I was glad to see Speaker Johnson finally act with integrity and move forward on a foreign aid package that closely resembles the bill passed by the Senate in February. But even now, extremist Republicans are working to derail this latest effort.
Let me be clear: the dire situation in Ukraine is not only perilous for the future of Ukrainian democracy. It is also dangerous for our own national security. If we fail to support Ukraine in its hour of need, Vladimir Putin and other tyrants around the world will receive a clear message that the United States is unwilling to honor our commitments to our allies. If Republicans continue to choke off critical aid for Ukraine and deliver Putin the victory he so desperately wants, Russia may be emboldened to strike next at our NATO allies, thereby threatening to drag U.S. troops into a bloody war. We must do everything in our power to avoid such a devastating outcome.
This is a critical moment for our nation on the global stage. Will we come to the defense of our ally, a sovereign democracy under attack by an authoritarian power? Or will we let petty politics strip us of our role as the leader of the free world? My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to passing this vital legislation and sending a clear message across the globe: the United States still stands for freedom and democracy.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- Thanks to recent actions by the Biden Administration, many student loan borrowers now have an opportunity to cancel some or all of their student loan debt!
- The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) will conduct a one-time adjustment this summer, but you may need to take steps to qualify by April 30, 2024.
- Here’s what you need to know.
- To get the most credit towards loan cancellation, borrowers with the following types of federally managed loans must consolidate them:
- Commercially held Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL)
- Parent PLUS loans
- Perkins loans
- Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program loans
- After you take this step, your new Direct Consolidation Loan is eligible for this summer’s one-time adjustment, and more of the payments you have already made will be counted towards loan cancellation.
- Here’s what you need to do.
- First, call the DOE at 1-800-433-3243 or log in to your StudentAid.gov account to determine whether you have a federal loan that should be consolidated.
- Next, consolidate your loan into a Direct Consolidation Loan at StudentAid.gov/loan-consolidation by April 30, 2024.
- Finally, enroll in an income-driven repayment (IDR) program HERE to continue earning credit towards loan forgiveness beginning this May.
- For more information on this opportunity, click HERE or visit StudentAid.gov!
