Now That Two Members Of The United States Congress Have Visited Kyiv… Let The CODEL’s Commence! Focus Will Be States With Large Ukrainian Populations.
On 14 April 2022, The Honorable Steve Daines (R- Montana), a member of the United States Senate, and The Honorable Victoria Spartz (R- Indiana), a member of the United States House of representatives, visited Kyiv and Bucha. The traveled from Lyiv by train. Senator Daines was on official travel in Europe. Representative Spartz is the first Ukrainian-born member of the United States Congress, “had planned an unofficial visit to Ukraine and later joined Mr. Daines for the trip supported by the Ukrainian government.” NOTE: Representative Spartz visited Kyiv, Ukraine, for a second time from 22 April 2022 to 26 April 2022.
Now that two members of the United States Congress have made their way by train from Lviv to Kyiv, expect to see many more members of the 100-member United States Senate and 435-member United States House of Representatives.
What is a CODEL? It means "Congressional Delegation," and refers to travel by members of the United States Congress that are paid for by the United States government (the taxpayer). Members of the United States Congress prefer to use United States Department of Defense VIP aircraft (Gulfstream, 737, 757, C-17) rather than use commercial aircraft because they are provided with additional amenities. Among the first likely visitors….
United States Senate
The Honorable Robert Menendez (D- New Jersey), chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. New Jersey has the fourth-largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent.
The Honorable James Risch (R- Idaho), ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
The Honorable Jack Reed (D- Rhode Island), chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services.
The Honorable James Inhofe (R- Oklahoma), ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services.
The Honorable Mark Warner (D- Virginia), chairman of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The Honorable Marco Rubio (R-Florida), vice chairman United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Florida has the sixth-largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent.
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Gregory Meeks (D- New York), chairman of the United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. New York State has the largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent.
The Honorable Michael McCaul (R- Texas), ranking member of the United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Honorable Adam Smith (D- Washington), chairman of the United States House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. Washington has the fifth-largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent. On 13 April 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation included Representative Smith among 398 members of the United States Congress on a list of individuals ineligible to enter the Russian Federation. Link
The Honorable Mike Rogers (R- Alabama), ranking member of the United States House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
The Honorable Adam Schiff (D- California), chairman of the United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. California has the second-largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent.
The Honorable Michael Turner (R- Ohio), ranking member of the United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Ohio has the eighth-largest population of individuals of Ukrainian descent.
