The U.S. Senate rejected a proposed amendment that would have created an office of Lead Inspector General to oversee the billions of aid sent to Ukraine.
The Lead Inspector General would have been called to “develop and carry out, in coordination with the offices of the Inspectors General, a joint strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight of all amounts appropriated by the United States for Ukraine.”
The amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) failed 51-48.
Under the proposed amendment, $10 million of the NDAA’s $866 billion was to be allocated to create the office.
Amendment author Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) said in a statement, “I am dismayed that my Democrat colleagues withheld support for this reasonable, effective effort to conduct additional oversight of US aid to Ukraine.”
“Lawmakers are far better positioned to support Ukraine when taxpayers feel confident that their money is spent on a transparent and effective basis. I will continue promoting rigorous oversight of Ukrainian military aid as I also push the Biden administration to provide Ukraine the weapons it needs to win this war,” he added.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against the amendment “because he wants the existing [Inspector General] to do this, not create a new agency for it,” according to journalist Glenn Greenwald.
Reporting from The Post Millennial:
In a USA Today OpEd written before the vote, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) wrote, "Taxpayers in Arizona and Louisiana help fund this investment. And our constituents deserve to know that each dollar sent to Ukraine is spent with the singular aim of deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintaining peace for the United States and our allies." They continued, "If the American people want to keep track of all the different streams of military, financial and humanitarian aid flowing into Ukraine, we need a dedicated team of regional experts following every penny."
