Congress enacts Lend-Lease Act in fight against Russian invasion of Ukraine

The US Senate rushed to pass a bill that allows President Joe Biden to supply Ukraine’s military with weapons, medical supplies, humanitarian aid and other supplies without the time-consuming procedural process.

The Lend-Lease Act has not been invoked since World War II, when it was created to more rapidly supply British forces in their fight against Germany. The Senate unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in brief remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday night, “When we murder wantonly innocent civilians because of who they are, whether it be their religion, their race, or their nationality, that is genocide, and Mr. Putin is guilty of it.” President Biden has also referred to Russia’s actions in Ukraine as war crimes.

The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 allows the US President to supply Ukraine with weapons and supplies free of the typical bureaucratic red tape, under the agreement that Ukraine will pay the US back at a later date.