The Biden administration has voiced opposition to plans by US lawmakers to establish an independent inspector general to oversee military and economic aid packages for Ukraine. The issue arises from a provision added to the $874 billion US defense budget for the next fiscal year, which calls for an additional layer of oversight on Ukraine aid modeled after the inspector general established for reconstruction in Afghanistan. Some conservative lawmakers argue that the White House lacks adequate controls to prevent fraud and other misuse of the $113 billion in aid approved by Congress for Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.
However, the administration argues that the Pentagon inspector general and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) are already working with relevant congressional committees to ensure accountability for Ukraine aid. The Pentagon inspector general and the GAO are currently conducting investigations of every aspect of this assistance, according to a statement from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The White House also opposes an amendment to the defense bill that would expand the authority of the Afghanistan reconstruction inspector general. The OMB states that this expansion is unnecessary and unprecedented since inspectors from the US State Department and the US Agency for International Development already oversee the aid.
In February, John Sopko, the independent inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, warned about the need for strong safeguards to prevent corruption from undermining aid packages for Ukraine. He emphasized the importance of learning from the mistakes made in Afghanistan, where much aid was diverted or stolen, to avoid a similar situation in Ukraine. Sopko stated that there is a risk of corrupt elements, both from the Ukrainian government and US government contractors or third-party contractors, stealing the aid money.
It is worth noting that last year, Congress blocked an initiative led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to audit the aid to Ukraine. Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption and is consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky recently fired several top officials for profiteering. A report by CBS News in August 2022 revealed that only about 30% of the Western weaponry sent to Ukraine was reaching the front lines due to waste and corruption.
In summary, the Biden administration is urging lawmakers to drop plans for an independent inspector general to monitor assistance to Ukraine. They argue that existing oversight mechanisms, such as the Pentagon inspector general and the GAO, are already ensuring accountability. However, some lawmakers are concerned about the lack of controls and the risk of corruption in Ukraine’s aid packages. It remains to be seen how this debate will unfold and whether additional oversight measures will be implemented.
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