Reps. Crow and Valadao Lead Letter with 38 House Colleagues to Support Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, and Congressman David Valadao (R-CA-22), Co-Chair of the Congressional UXO/Demining Caucus, led a letter with 38 of their House colleagues drawing attention to the importance of humanitarian demining in Ukraine, which is now one of the world’s most landmine-contaminated countries as a result of Russia's illegal invasion in 2022. 

The Members highlight that the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act passed earlier this year stipulates that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the USAID Administrator, will soon submit to Congress “an assessment of the most pressing needs of Ukraine for reconstruction, rebuilding, and humanitarian aid.” Addressed to Secretary of State Blinken and USAID Administrator Power, the letter inquires as to whether the Biden Administration will include humanitarian demining as one of the most pressing needs for rebuilding and reconstruction in Ukraine. 

“As the State Department and USAID prepares this assessment, we seek to draw attention to the prevalence of landmine contamination in Ukraine and inquire as to whether the Administration intends to include humanitarian demining as one of the most pressing needs for reconstruction, rebuilding, and humanitarian aid,” the Members said in the letter. 

The Members continued, “We are grateful to the Administration for its ongoing support of Ukraine and your steadfast engagement with our partners and allies. We appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to continuing to work together to support Ukraine, including future reconstruction, rebuilding, and recovery efforts.”

In addition to Rep. Crow, Rep. Valadao, and 38 other signatories, the letter has been endorsed by The HALO Trust USA, which is part of the world’s largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization.

The letter follows Congressman Crow’s continued efforts to provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression. Earlier this year Congressman Crow voted to establish the Ukraine Support Fund to provide assistance to Ukraine for damage resulting from the Russian invasion. He has long championed efforts to further establish Ukrainian military superiority, and has urged the Biden Administration to provide Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities. He also joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in Kyiv to hear directly from President Zelenskyy and other senior officials on how the United States can continue to support the war effort.

A PDF of the letter can be found here, with full text appearing below:  

September 26, 2024

Dear Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power,

The Russian Federation’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ongoing conflict have killed thousands of civilians and soldiers, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and ravaged cities, towns, and infrastructure across Ukraine. The United States must continue to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and future against Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault. Yet we must also look forward to the day when Ukraine is secure and take stock of factors that are a risk to Ukrainians today and that may present a challenge for eventual recovery and reconstruction. 

Ukraine is now one of the world’s most landmine-contaminated countries. The Ukrainian Government has stated that over 174,000 square kilometers of land in Ukraine, including more than 25,000 square kilometers of farmland, have been exposed to conflict and may contain explosives.1 The widespread presence of explosives clearly pose a significant humanitarian risk and they also keep large swathes of farmland out of use – finding one mine in an agricultural area will render the land unsafe for cultivation until it can be cleared. 

Future efforts at reconstruction, rebuilding, and recovery are further challenged when explosives line roads and block critical infrastructure or hide within collapsed and partially collapsed buildings – preventing safe access for construction and making rubble clearance and rebuilding extremely dangerous. Humanitarian demining efforts will be necessary for public safety, economic health, and future reconstruction. 

The REPO for Ukrainians Act, included in the Ukraine supplemental signed into law on April 24, 2024, outlines that resources in the newly established Ukraine Support Fund shall be available to the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide assistance to Ukraine for damage resulting from the Russian invasion. Further, it requires that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the USAID Administrator, submit to Congress “an assessment of the most pressing needs of Ukraine for reconstruction, rebuilding, and humanitarian aid” within 180 days of the bill’s enactment. 

As the State Department and USAID prepares this assessment, we seek to draw attention to the prevalence of landmine contamination in Ukraine and inquire as to whether the Administration intends to include humanitarian demining as one of the most pressing needs for reconstruction, rebuilding, and humanitarian aid. If this is not being assessed as a most pressing need or is already determined not to be, we would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your reasoning in advance of the release of the assessment in October. 

We are grateful to the Administration for its ongoing support of Ukraine and your steadfast engagement with our partners and allies. We appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to continuing to work together to support Ukraine, including future reconstruction, rebuilding, and recovery efforts.

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