Rep. Sara Jacobs said Thursday she opposes the Biden administration’s decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, saying the U.S. will “cede the moral high ground.”
A weapons aid package that includes cluster munitions fired by 155 millimeter howitzers was expected to be announced as soon as Friday, according to Reuters.
The munitions, banned by more than 120 countries, typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area, threatening civilians.
“We’ve seen Russia’s horrific use of cluster munitions in Ukraine — and we shouldn’t cede the moral high ground by criticizing their actions and then deciding to send cluster munitions ourselves,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs, who represents central San Diego County and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, praised President Biden for his “expertise and level-headedness in handling this crisis” but said she is “incredibly disappointed” by the decision on cluster munitions.
She warned that cluster munitions could prevent the successful economic rebuilding of Ukraine after the war.
“Cluster munitions keep killing long after their initial use with the potential to injure and kill civilians, especially young children, for generations,” she said. “We’ve already seen these weapons hurt civilians in other post-war contexts like Cambodia and Vietnam, and we should do everything in our power to prevent that suffering, dismemberment, and death.”