U.S. Senator Katie Britt Joins Senators Graham, Blumenthal and Klobuchar in Introducing Legislation Designating Russia as State Sponsor of Terrorism

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in a press conference to discuss the introduction of their bipartisan legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism if they do not return the estimated nearly 20,000 children kidnapped or displaced from Ukraine.

Senator Britt began her remarks by addressing the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, saying, "Political violence has no place in America. What we saw yesterday, and everyone saw it, is sickening. And all of you sitting in these rows have a duty and an obligation to call it that … when I'm thinking about Charlie, obviously his faith was the most important thing in his life, his wife, his children. Our prayers are with them. He influenced countless Americans and people across the world. My kids being amongst those groups … The time for unity, the time for peace, it is now."

She then spoke on the 24^th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, recounting her personal experience on the day that changed America forever: "I was in a college class, there in the business school, a really large lecture hall. And the uncertainty of the events were startling for everyone … I'm sure every one of you remember exactly where you were and how you handled it, and the uncertainty of the days ahead.."

On the introduction of their bipartisan legislation, Senator Britt highlighted her personal connection as a mother to this issue, saying, "I want to focus on the kids. As a mom, I cannot even imagine what it is like to have your child torn from your arms to know that they're celebrating a birthday, or that they had a really bad day and have no one to love them, to hug them, to talk them through it, knowing that they're not only milestones are missing, but there are moments where you want to create a foundation for your child to be able to stand tall, to stand strong.

"You think about the uncertainty that these children are feeling torn from everything they ever knew. We have to speak loudly into this issue, not just today, but every day … We've got to elevate this issue in order to be able to bring these children home. It is clear that Putin will never do the right thing without being forced to, and now it's time to make that happen."

Senator Britt's full remarks can be found here.

This legislation would require the Secretary of State to, within 60 days, certify to Congress whether the Ukrainian children who were kidnapped, deported, or forcibly removed from Ukrainian territory or occupied Ukrainian territory have been reunited with their families or guardians and that the process of full reintegration of them into Ukrainian society is underway.

The bill text can be found here.

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