Tracking Ukraine Spending Costs $42M
The U.S. has sent $113.4 billion in aid to Ukraine to fight off Russia since February 2022. Aid that needs robust oversight.
Unfortunately, instead of a centralized and streamlined approach, Congress has appropriated $42 million across three federal agencies — the Defense Department, State Department, and U.S. Agency for International Development — to attempt to monitor Ukraine aid.
The DOD has appropriated $62.3 billion in aid to Ukraine, and the State Department and USAID appropriated a combined $46 billion. Ten other executive agencies made up the other $5 billion in funding.
Because of this fractured approach to distributing the aid, the oversight of the aid is fractured as well. Instead of a central body keeping track of all of these expenditures, each agency’s respective inspector general is responsible for oversight of these funds. In total, the inspectors general at these agencies have received an extra $42 million to help them monitor Ukraine aid expenditures.
Splitting oversight into separate verticals makes it more difficult to evaluate their oversight and fully understand how well or poorly our money is being used.
Some Republicans in Congress, like Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), have advocated for a special inspector general tasked exclusively with overseeing Ukraine aid. While this would have been wise, Congress never approved it.
It’s important that these inspectors general collaborate with each other to ensure the American people have a full understanding of how their money is being spent.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
We're proud to make our journalism accessible to everyone, but producing high-quality investigative pieces still comes at a cost.
That's why we need your help. By making a contribution today, you'll be supporting RealClearInvestigations and ensuring that we can keep providing in-depth reporting that holds the powerful accountable.
Donate now and help us continue to publish distinctive journalism that makes a difference. Thank you for your support!
Support RealClearInvestigations →
