On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Senate Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that the Biden administration can “Absolutely” cut red tape to get military equipment to the Ukrainians more efficiently.
Durbin said, “The United States and NATO are on their side. We have provided massive amounts of equipment, ammunition, and resources for them to engage in the fight. We need to do more and we need to do it quickly. Time is of the essence. If the parliamentarians made one thing clear, they need help and they need it yesterday. They don’t need to wait for weeks at a time. So, we’ve had a secret briefing, a classified briefing here, a meeting with our diplomatic as well as our defense experts, bringing that message home. And they are really moving, I believe, in response to it.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “I talked to a military officer yesterday who said that the Biden administration needs to move at the speed of war, not the speed of bureaucracy. Can’t there still be steps taken, red tape cut to make this much more efficient?”
Durbin responded, “Absolutely. There’s no question about it. And I believe they’re doing a good job. They can do a better job. And it really is a life-and-death struggle. Delay does not mean discomfort and an awkward situation, it means the possibility of dying, suffering, being wounded. And we have to look at it that way. … So, we are going to urge this administration and Congress to respond accordingly.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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