Hoyer: The Free World Will Bear the Cost if We Let Putin Prevail

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined the Congressional Ukraine Caucus to deliver remarks on the House Floor to urge his Republican colleagues to sign the discharge petition to bring the Ukraine Support Act to the House Floor. Below is a full video and transcript of his remarks:

"I thank the gentlelady who heads the Ukrainian Caucus, has ties to Ukraine, and is deeply tied to America, to democracy, liberty, and freedom. Mr. Speaker, I adopt her remarks as my own. I will add to that, but it will be surplusage because everything she said, and all the dangers she referred to, and all the atrocities of the Russians we could repeat. As I was sitting here - with the exception of Mr. Vindman, who's a young man - it occurred to me that the speakers who have spoken so far are of a generation who were children at the time of the Soviet Union, who understood the viciousness of The Bear, who understood the enslavement of the Russian people and the captive nations.

"Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the people of Ukraine, for the people of America, for the people of Europe, for the people of Asia and Africa, South America, [and] Australia because all of us are at risk if dictators like Putin prevail. Ukraine: the question is, will America and this Congress allow it to become a nation betrayed? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, negotiator Witkoff, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, and others have done everything to express support for Vladimir Putin's and Russia's position and to exonerate them from their aggression and from their war crimes. Earlier this year, Trump said that the Russians have all the cards. Mr. Speaker, someone ought to remind our president - and I do so tonight - that NATO has a combined defense expenditure of $1.58 trillion. Together, we field 3.5 million troops. Our combined GDP is 25 times more than Russia's. Europe holds some $246 billion [in] frozen Russian assets. I suggest to all of us, to the president and to the world at large: those are a lot of cards, but we need to play them. As long as they're in the deck, they won't make a difference. Every day we do not, we look weaker in the eyes of the world. That is a danger for us and a danger for the international community.

"Every day Russia slaughters more Ukrainians. At least 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already given their lives in defense of democracy, and many more have been wounded. The Ukrainians will continue to fight valiantly, as the gentlelady pointed out, with or without our support. But our decision will determine whether their fight is in vain or will prevail. The other day, a Ukrainian soldier on the front lines told a reporter, and I quote, ' They kept withholding military aid. Couldn't agree on how to respond, and we keep paying for their indecisiveness with our blood - the blood of our children.'
He was referring, of course, not just to the United States, but the world at large. Ukraine may be paying the price for our negligence today, but we, the free world, will ultimately bear the cost if we let Putin prevail. When we fail to show our strength, our adversaries doubt our resolve, and when our adversaries doubt our resolve, they are assuredly more likely to test our might. That's the mistake that Neville Chamberlain made. That's the [mistake] America and the United Kingdom made when we did not honor the Budapest Memorandum when Putin annexed Crimea. In my view, Crimea is the mother of this war. The failure to act decisively in the face of that war crime, that theft, that international law that was broken led Putin to believe he could do this, the invasion of Ukraine, with impunity. And that is the mistake Donald Trump is making now. This Congress must not do the same, and the good news is this Congress has not done the same.

"There were 12 votes between 2022 and July of 2025. The good news, America, is that on both sides of the aisle, the overwhelming majority of members voted to support Ukraine. Mostly was unanimous on this side, but the unanimous - it was also unanimous on the Republican side, save one vote and then it was 110 to 117, just a small minority. Those votes average 80% of the Members of Congress voting to support Ukraine. So, it's not as if there is division in this House, and, as the gentlelady said, there's a discharge petition which lays in that desk behind me. Every Democrat - 214, 213 Democrats have signed it, and two Republicans have signed it. 216 signatures in all, now. We need two more to say to Ukraine, to say to the world to say yes, to our Administration, 'We are in support of liberty over tyranny. We are in support of a people that has shown extraordinary courage.'

"Fortunately, we have a winning card to play. Ranking Member Meeks and I have that bipartisan discharge petition to force [a vote] on the Ukraine Support Act. Two Republicans have signed that, but that means there are another 100 who support Ukraine, and all they need to do is sign that petition and we will vote in January on that bill that says we're going to support Ukraine and freedom and democracy and liberty and international law. Every House Democrat and two Republicans, as I said, have signed our legislation, [which] includes both sanctions to undermine Russia's war economy and direct financial military aid for Ukraine's defense and reconstruction. There are 80 United States senators who have signed on to a bill imposing sanctions on Russia some six months ago, and it has not moved. What do you think that does to the psychology of Ukraine and Ukrainians and their soldiers? If we report out this bill, in my view, it will change this war not only materially, but psychologically. It doesn't matter how many concessions you give to Putin - and this administration has given him many - he will keep fighting this war so long as he thinks he can outlast the free world. This is an issue of resolve. I mentioned how much superiority we have with respect to Russia in size and money and resources.

"I know we can do this, Mr. Speaker. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, the House has had at least 12 votes - and I mentioned then - 80% of our people have supported them. Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to fold. Now is the time to call. If we play our hand correctly, we can still ensure Putin suffers a defeat that will make other dictators around the world think twice before violating international law and creating war crimes. We must, Mr. Speaker, because make no mistake: Vladimir Putin is playing for keeps and for empire. Our European allies know that to be the case because they have been at the point of the enemy's spear when Chamberlain said we were buying ' peace in our time .' We then had World War II. Let us act. I urge my Republican colleagues and friends who have signed on and voted for supporting Ukraine to sign this discharge petition. And I yield back to Ms. Kaptur."