Causes.com
| 4.20.22
What Is ‘Lend-Lease’ & How Could It Help Ukraine Against Russia’s Invasion?
Are you in favor of a Lend-Lease military aid program for Ukraine?
What’s the story?
- House lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol next week and may vote on a bill to initiate a World War II-style Lend-Lease program that would speed the delivery of weapons and other critical supplies needed by Ukraine’s military as it defends against Russia’s invasion.
What would the bill do?
- The bill, known as the Ukraine Democracy Lend-Lease Act of 2022, passed the Senate unanimously on a voice vote in early April before lawmakers went on a two-week recess.
- It would help Ukraine’s government obtain military equipment from the U.S. by waiving certain restrictions on the sale of defense articles that are mostly related to payment and recall rights for loaned equipment.
- Specifically, the bill would waive provisions that ban the use of loans with repayment periods longer than five years; allow the U.S. to recall the loaned defense article at any time; and require the receiving party to pay the U.S. for all costs incurred in leasing a defense article. It would also waive a provision that allows Congress to prohibit certain transfers of defense articles using a joint resolution.
- These waivers would only apply to Ukraine, not to arms sales for any other country. They would remain in effect until the conflict which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 has ceased, and Russia has reduced its military force on Ukraine’s eastern border to the levels maintained prior to March 1, 2021.
- Additionally, the bill would require the president to establish expedited procedures to ensure the timely delivery of defense articles loaned or leased under this bill.
- The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) along with original cosponsors Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS). A companion bill in the House was introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and lead cosponsor Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN).
- If the bill is added to next week’s schedule in the House, it may be considered under the fast-track “suspension of the rules” process which expedites debate but requires a two-thirds majority for passage, given its unanimous passage in the Senate.
What role did Lend-Lease play in WWII?
- Lend-Lease played a major role in aiding the Allied war effort against Germany, Italy, and Japan both before and after the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941. It helped the Allies wage war against Germany and in the process jump-started the U.S. defense industrial base prior to America’s entry into the war.
- The U.S. pursued a policy of isolationism and non-interventionism through much of the 1930s and remained neutral after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, an act that prompted Britain and France to enter the war against Germany. When war erupted in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began to work with Congress to gradually roll back various neutrality laws that restricted U.S. defense exports.
- This initially began as a “cash and carry” program in which Britain would pay the U.S. in cash and gold for defense articles and also take responsibility for transporting them across the Atlantic. There was also a Destroyers for Bases Agreement of 1940 in which 50 U.S. Navy were transferred to Britain and Canada in exchange for basing rights in the Caribbean and Newfoundland, Canada. As Britain’s liquid currency assets dwindled and the war raged on, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill continued to lobby FDR for more aid and pleaded, “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.”
- During the Battle of Britain in September 1940, Britain sent the Tizard Mission to initiate a technology-sharing program with the U.S. because Britain’s domestic industrial resources were already fully committed to its wartime mobilization and America’s industrial capacity was still revving up. The sharing included key technology for radar, a jet engine design, fuzes, gunsights, rockets, plastic explosives, and a memorandum on the feasibility of an atomic bomb.
- As WWII entered its second year, U.S. public opinion shifted to support more aid to the Allies and Roosevelt made his famous declaration that the U.S. would become the “Arsenal of Democracy” in December 1940. FDR signed Lend-Lease into law in March 1941 after it passed Congress despite opposition by isolationist lawmakers. As Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during debate on the bill, it was clearly viewed as a means of helping America’s ally stay in the fight while the U.S. began to mobilize its military might if the country was drawn into the war directly:
“We are buying… not lending. We are buying our own security while we prepare. By our delay during the past six years, while Germany was preparing, we find ourselves unprepared and unarmed, facing a thoroughly prepared and armed potential enemy.”
- While Lend-Lease initially applied to the United Kingdom, the British Commonwealth, and Free France, it quickly expanded to the Republic of China in April, and later to the Soviet Union in October. It continued after December 1941 when the U.S. entered the war following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
- Lend-Lease included the provision of warships, warplanes, weaponry, food, medicine, and other equipment and supplies. A total of $50.1 billion (roughly $690 billion in 2020 dollars) worth of supplies were shipped to three dozen countries under Lend-Lease, accounting for roughly 17% of all U.S. wartime expenditures. The largest recipients were Britain and its Commonwealth with $31.3 billion; the Soviet Union with $10.9 billion; France with $3.2 billion; and the Republic of China with $1.6 billion. Britain and its Commonwealth also provided Reverse Lend-Lease and supplied the U.S. with nearly $8 billion in war material.
RELATED READING
- US Announces New $800M Package for Ukraine, Officials Say American Troops to Train Ukrainians (4/14/22)
- US & NATO Sending More Military Aid to Ukraine Including Tanks, Armored Vehicles, & Drones (4/5/22)
- US & NATO Providing More Military Aid to Ukraine Amid Russia's Invasion (3/17/22)
- NATO Considers Sending Ukraine More Air-Defense Systems to Defend Against Russian Airstrikes (3/14/22)
- NATO Activates Response Force for First Time, US & Allies Increase Defense Aid to Ukraine Amid Russia's Invasion (2/28/22)
- U.S. & Allies Sending More Troops to Eastern Europe, Arms to Ukraine Amid Russian Invasion Threat (2/12/22)
- U.S. & NATO Allies Provide Aid to Ukraine Amid Russia's Military Buildup (1/22/22)
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force - 621st Contingency Response Wing photo by Tech. Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez via Flickr / Public Domain)
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You know that the putin likes to say that his idol, who he would like to emulate for his legacy is Peter the Great. With the putin'd troops raping the women and pillaging the land, and getting praised for doing so - I think that he must have meant Genghis Kahn instead of Peter the Great.
Right now, our ability to get military aid to Ukraine is essential, and this sounds like it will be easier with a "Lend-Lease" program. I support this, but we can put an end date on it, at which point it will expire (or have to be renewed). Ukraine needs our support against Russian aggression, and it's the best way we can support them without sending our own troops.
At least they are doing this in Congress as it should be.
it really is amazing that the senate passed this two weeks ago and the house because this was so important to Ukraine that Comrade Nancy sent her chamber home for two weeks.
It is probably the most disgusting and the most disrespectful thing that we have to vote on sending arms to the Ukrainian under this “ Lend-Lease military aid program” while this human sewer in the oval office openly screams that Putin is a killer.
Vlad, the Impaler in his quest to liberate the Russian speaking populace in Ukraine is failing in his stated mission. The Russian speaking populace in Mariupol is left without heat, power, food, medicine or medical care. The estimated remaining 120,000 Russian speaking citizens are being surrounded, humanitarian aid is being blocked and the people are not being allowed to leave as they are being left to starve to death. Meanwhile, their infrastructure is being pummeled into dust - as is most of the Russian speaking communities in Russia's path.
Perhaps there is a Russian translation issue where the Russian word for 'liberation' is being confused with the word 'obliteration'.
The putin is drunk with the power that comes with with autocracy and the power of the autocracy to use focused propaganda to suppress the truth of what he is doing from reaching the populous.
The similarity of what the putun is doing in Ukraine and what Vladimir Desantus is doing in Florida, or what Republican State legislatures arc doing to the most fundamental right of any democracy to have free, fair elections - all of this should scare the crap out of the electorate. The electorate will hopefully see the need to remove the danger of the Republican Cartel's lust for power at any cost, which is putting our country dangerously marching down the path to becoming the putin's type of autocracy.
The trump's attempted political coup only failed because of a few principled State Republicans who resisted enormous presidential pressure to not certify election results or to find ways to change the vote - and all of them as well as election managing officials are being replaced by highly partisan political loyalists. While we came incredibly close to a constitutional crisis in the last presidential election, those few who prevented it are no longer 'there' and have been replaced by loyalists, and this should scare the hell out of any American not on the short list to become oligarchs of the new order.
The midterms will be the first place where the electorate will have a choice between continuing down the path of becoming a kleptocratic autocracy in the style of the Putin's Russia or remaining a democracy.
Ukraine, please hold. Nancy Pelosi sent the House members on vacation. We are sorry for this inconvience. Call back later.
Unfortunately it's over. We can't afford giving money away. We are BROKE and the socialist democrats keep spending. Our deficit it's going to burst like the Zeppelin blimp. We have to stop spending money.
I’m not sure about the value of this program. Is this another way to get money out of Ukraine? I don’t see how this speeds up the process of getting arms to Ukraine. Is this just another feel-good bill for politicians to talk about when he election’s are coming up? I know it emulates what FDR did (following a Democrat’s example is a favorite Republican thing to do), but the atmosphere here is not the same as the 30’s. Getting more equipment and training for Ukrainians seems to be the most effective thing to do. Maybe the US can fly its own drones to take out Russia’s tanks, artillery, and air power.
This is a do-or-die, moment for the Free-world as well as Ukraine.
We have a moral responsibility as well as the Leader of the Free World to fight back against fascism and Tyrannical regimes that threaten freedoms and peace in this world.
If we only had to worry about Nukes. Just look at the pictures. Talk about the Military Industiral Complex in ALL countries and their power. Apparently, even Russia has no quams about unlimited tank shelling, short/long range artillery, cruise missles or any other weapon system to just OBLITERATE the cities they are attacking since they are too weak to really fight. How many bullets, mines, missles of any and all ranges, bombs HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXPENDED by now on the 59/60th day! AND EVEN RUSSIA SEEMS TO THINK THEY HAVE UNLIMITED BACKUP, as they 'Regroup' and 'Resupply'??
I'm hoping 'Resupply' turns into a nightmare for at least One Side. FU putin.
And we're going to need to do some DEEP DIVES into that Military Budget. Soon. I'm watching brady, cornyn and cruz.
Well I guess it's better to lend/lease than to just give. I'm afraid it may not come soon enough.
The reason Putin doesn't want the Russia military to attack Mariupol is because of damage that will be done to the steel mill. He doesn't care about people, the military, women or children. Also that region is sitting on a natural gas reserve.
the people of Russia are also to be blamed as well as the person at the top! 80% have internet access in Russia and a touch of a button they can see the truth, but choose to Believe the propaganda. The support for Putin was at 69% and now at 85%. So all of Russia is responsible!
The bill, known as the Ukraine Democracy Lend-Lease Act of 2022, passed the Senate unanimously on a voice vote in early April before lawmakers went on a two-week recess.
It would help Ukraine’s government obtain military equipment from the U.S. by waiving certain restrictions on the sale of defense articles that are mostly related to payment and recall rights for loaned equipment.
I support the Ukraine Democracy Lend-Lease Act of 2022, I urge you to support this important help to Ukraine.
Whatever it takes to support Ukraine is fine by me. Russian aggression must be stoped at all cost. The only way to deal with a bully is to stand-up to them, not back down. It's too bad Republicans don't understand that reality and stand-up to Trump instead of kissing his fat ass.
"Lend Lease"-will not only help Ukraine, it will also protect NATO.
Sure look what we did with the Marshal Act after WWII. It is a win win issue.
What Is ‘Lend-Lease’ & How Could It Help Ukraine Against Russia’s Invasion?
@causes, why do you word questions as if we are in school and are answering a test to be sure we read the chapter assigned as reading?
For God's sake yes. Send in the US Marines as well. Putin needs to be stopped. If Ukraine falls NATO will be next.
Yes is the appropriate answer here.
I would rather we simply DONATE the needed resources for the cause of defending democracy, but that would be difficult to pass with nearly half of each house standing against democracy! This shoudl pass quickly, and will help. I support it.
I do not care how the support for Ukraine is packaged. I just want to see everything that they need and want get to them as soon as possible.
Ukraine has assumed the role of the front-line vanguard of the world's democracies, solely assuming the overwhelming risk to their country and their people to remain free from autocratic rule. What they are doing deserves the admiration and full support of all western democracies because, if they fail, autocracies across the planet will gain the playbook needed to simply take over and consume any militarily weaker and 'tasty' neighbor without repercussion.
Ukraine must win and the putin must suffer for single-handedly moving the once pominant Russia into a third world status.
We need to do everything possible to help Ukraine summarily defeat and humiliate the putin's Russia, and set a meaningful exsmple to dissuade other autocracies from violating international norms and taking similar actions agsinst their sovereign neighbors.
We must stop Russia! Putin sees any weakness he will take advantage!
This war in Ukraine started with Trump kissing 💋 Putin's behind, pulling troops out of Europe! Miss reading our with drawl from Afghanistan!
I am very concerned about certain Republicans making statements the encourage Putin's activity!
Putin's only two best friends left in the world are the president of communist China and Donald Trump. Donald Trump has always sucked up to Putin, you have to wonder why you have to wonder if Putin has pictures of trump doing something he shouldn't have done or if the Trump is just an idiot it could very well be both and probably is. As far as communist China they want to invade Taiwan and they feel this gives them license. It's pathetic that we had someone that used to be president of this country that side with the Communists in authoritarian dictators but that's what we have we have Donald Trump.