; Whereas, in 2019, Hungary became the first European Union member state to be downgraded to partly free by Freedom House, an internationally recognized non-profit organization, in 2022, the European Parliament ruled that Hungary was no longer considered a full democracy, and in 2023, Transparency International, an internationally recognized non-profit organization, ranked Hungary as the most corrupt European Union member state; Whereas, in December 2023, Hungary instituted a law purportedly designed to protect the sovereignty of Hungary, but which actually serves as a tool to silence Hungarians who disagree with the current ruling party and has led to infringement proceedings by the European Union; Whereas the European Union took the unprecedented step of withholding more than $30,000,000,000 in funds due to concerns about rule of law and corruption in Hungary, and continues to withhold more than $20,000,000,000 of such funds; Whereas Hungary has sought to strengthen its relationship with the People’s Republic of China, including by participating in the 16+1 format and the Belt and Road Initiative, the first European country to do so; Whereas, following the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, Prime Minister Orban and the Government of Hungary has resisted and diluted European Union sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation; Whereas, in response to the further invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in 2022, Hungary announced support for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union, strengthening European and transatlantic unity at a critical juncture; Whereas, since February 24, 2022, more than 800,000 refugees have fled Ukraine through Hungary in response to the unprovoked and illegal war in Ukraine initiated by Vladimir Putin, and more than 35,000 Ukrainians have sought to stay in Hungary; Whereas the Government of Hungary has worked with local partners, including non-governmental organizations, to provide essential services to Ukrainian refugees