(Bloomberg) -- Penny Pritzker is looking to American commodity companies to help rebuild Ukraine’s economy as she urged Congress to pass an aid package for the war-shattered country that’s stalled in the US House.

The former commerce secretary, tasked by President Joe Biden with the reconstruction of the Eastern European nation, said she sees opportunities for sectors including agriculture, steel and energy. At a speech in Chicago on Wednesday, she touted the work of Cargill Inc. and Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. in helping Ukrainian farmers, and rising output from steel factories in recent months.

Pritzker, whose great-grandfather fled Kyiv for the US some 140 years ago, also called on Congress to pass the $95 billion aid package for countries including Ukraine. Her comments reflect growing concern within the administration and among Ukraine’s other allies over the country’s economic situation as the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion approaches.

“We are supporting the development of key infrastructure necessary to expand market access,” she said at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “We must focus on increasing awareness of the opportunities in Ukraine’s critical economic sectors: agriculture, critical minerals, mining and steel, energy, transportation and logistics, defense production, and technology.”

Ukraine’s fertile soils in the Black Sea region are key to feeding Europe and Africa with everything from wheat to corn and sunflower oil. Crops continue to flow in part due to the work of Marsh & McLennan Cos., which is providing an insurance program for vessels sailing from Ukraine’s deep-sea ports, Pritzker said.

“Putin’s forces have brutalized and murdered civilians, while deliberately, ruthlessly, and methodically attacking Ukraine’s economic infrastructure and energy grid,” she said. “Russia mined Ukraine’s grain fields, bombed its ports, and prevented crop exports desperately needed to feed the rest of the world.”

Steel production has been a bright spot, with factories in the industrial cities of Dnipro, Zaporezhia and Kryvyi Rih almost doubling production in just four months, according to Pritzker. She also highlighted the work of McDonald’s Corp., which she said added 10% more stores and served over 100 million Ukrainians last year. Representatives for the Chicago-based fast-food chain didn’t reply to requests for comment.

Pritzker said it’s time for Congress to act on the aid package, which has been held up by republicans in the house. The Senate approved $95 billion in assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Tuesday after months of delay, with 22 Republicans supporting it. 

“Now more than ever – we need Congress to hear our voices,” she said. “The Ukrainian government reports that their defense-stock depletion is leading directly to an uptick in loss of life. They desperately need the ammunition, artillery, and crucially, air defense that only we in the United States can provide.”

--With assistance from Daniela Sirtori-Cortina.

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