As war continues to rage in Ukraine, U.S. Representative Stephanie Murphy joined the Blue Dog Coalition in calling for more to be done to help against Russia’s invasion. Rep. Murphy reacted to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to Congress by calling for America and allies to arm the Ukrainian people with “offensive and defensive weapons.”
That is a step further than President Joe Biden has been willing to go so far. Rep. Murphy, who represents Central Florida, is a Democrat like President Biden, but also did announce she is retiring from Congress ahead of the expected Republican wave.
“President Zelenskyy is right to ask for any and all assistance to help Ukraine defend herself,” the co-chairs of the Blue Dog Coalition, Reps. Tom O’Halleran, Ed Case, Kurt Schrader, and Murphy, said in a statement. “In response, America must continue to work with our allies and partners to crush the Russian economy, degrading Putin’s ability to fund his war machine. We should ratchet up efforts across every domain to make Russia a pariah state, cutting it off from the community of responsible nations. We should provide the resources necessary to care for the millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homeland.”
“America and our allies must arm Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons that, in the judgement of our military professionals and diplomats, will enable Ukraine to impose steep costs on Russia and protect the Ukrainian people, while minimizing the chances that an unpredictable Putin will escalate his war in a deeply dangerous and destructive way,” the statement continued.
“The Ukrainian people are fighting with unbelievable bravery for their country’s very existence,” the statement said. “The United States stands in steadfast solidarity with them, on the side of democracy and justice, and against autocracy and aggression.”
