‘Where’s all the Ukraine money going? This person can help find the truth’
By U.S. Senator Josh Hawley | March 27, 2023 | Fox News
Over the last year, our leaders have sent a mind-blowing amount of money to Ukraine. If Congress cares about making sure that cash is well spent, they should go on record about it.
This week, the Senate will vote on my amendment to set up an inspector general to track every single taxpayer dollar going to Ukraine. Who could oppose that?
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A huge portion of U.S. assistance is provided directly to the Ukrainian government – straight cash, spent by foreign government bureaucrats. Meanwhile, just a few months ago, Ukraine dropped out of consideration for the 2030 World Cup after its sports officials were caught embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Too corrupt for FIFA – the famously shady soccer authority – is saying a lot.
American taxpayers deserve better than this. Earlier this month, I introduced legislation that would create a designated government watchdog – a special inspector general for Ukraine – to track every dollar that American taxpayers have sent to Ukraine. Now the Senate will vote on it.
Right now, no single authority is responsible for overseeing our Ukraine spending. The responsibility is supposedly split between three agencies – the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. But when the buck stops with no one, there’s no ultimate accountability for policing waste, fraud and abuse.
So let’s change that. Let’s put a single Senate-confirmed person in charge, and give them power to conduct the necessary audits, investigations and oversight. And let’s insist on regular reporting to keep track of the flow of funds, the military equipment being acquired, and Ukrainian anticorruption efforts. That’s the kind of toolkit we need.
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It’s far from clear that the conflict in Ukraine is winding down – indeed, some in Congress are already calling for more “emergency” aid. The very least we can do is pass legislation that helps us ensure that our money is serving the purposes stated in law. If the Biden administration doesn’t care enough to keep tabs on American funds, then it’s up to Congress to insist on it.
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