U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), joined by Senators JD Vance (R-Ohio), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding an explanation from the Department of Defense (DoD) for the reported $6.2 billion accounting error in U.S. security assistance to Ukraine. As President Biden arrives in Lithuania for a critical NATO summit, the Senators called for limits on military aid to Ukraine and questioned the DoD’s accounting procedures.
“On June 20, 2023, a DoD spokesperson asserted that DoD had been ‘overestimating the value’ of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine by a combined $6.2 billion over fiscal years 2022 and 2023,” the Senators wrote.
“These so-called ‘valuation errors’ are particularly concerning given the nature and scope of U.S. aid to Ukraine—over $113 billion thus far […] This is a transparent attempt to bypass Congress for additional funds, while continuing to prioritize Ukraine over more vital U.S. interests, including deterring China in the Pacific.”
“By using creative accounting to conceal the actual cost of supporting Ukraine, you appear to be circumventing the American people’s elected representatives. Congress, not DoD, possesses the power of the purse,” the Senators concluded.
In March, Senator Hawley introduced the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance Act to establish a Special Inspector General to oversee the military and non-military assistance to Ukraine.
Read the full letter by clicking or tapping here.
