KEY VOTE: “YES” ON HAWLEY AMENDMENT #40 TO S. 316.

Over the past year, Congress has approved $113 billion in military and economic assistance to Ukraine. This is a staggering amount of money for the federal government to send to another country, and taxpayers deserve to have a firm, detailed grasp on what their tax dollars are being spent and who is ultimately spending those dollars. This requires the adoption of robust oversight and accountability measures. Fortunately, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced an amendment to create a special inspector general to oversee all U.S. assistance to Ukraine. The inspector general would be modeled after the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which served a vital role in shining a light on billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse during the war and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Senator Hawley’s proposal has been offered as an amendment to legislation repealing the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF) against the Iraqi government. As a matter of principle, repealing these AUMFs is an important way for Congress to assert its Article I power to declare war so that future administrations cannot abuse them in ways Congress did not intend. Similarly, adoption of the Hawley amendment would be Congress asserting its Article I power of inquiry. Congress has the right and duty to conduct oversight, especially of the taxpayer money it appropriates, in this case, to support the economy and government of Ukraine. Attaching Senator Hawley’s amendment to a piece of legislation that, at its core, is about Congress asserting its constitutional powers as it relates to international conflict is both appropriate and responsible.

While there are currently permanent inspectors general at the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development who are responsible for conducting oversight of the assistance for Ukraine, it is not enough. The amount of aid that Congress has approved and the unique circumstances of the conflict in Ukraine require that additional resources be devoted to accounting for how and where these dollars are spent for the previously appropriated purpose of providing support to the economy and government of Ukraine.

Providing accurate and thorough oversight of $113 billion, which is more than 13% of the Pentagon’s FY2023 budget and $31.5 billion more than the State Department’s entire budget, is a heavy lift for three dedicated inspector general offices that have competing priorities and could benefit from the creation of an inspector general. Additionally, there is great value in expanding public awareness and access to the accurate reporting of the use of taxpayer dollars. While it was encouraging to see the Ukrainian government swiftly remove defense officials implicated in a recent embezzlement scheme, it also served as a powerful reminder that the opportunities for profiteering and corruption in war zones are immense. The opacity of on-the-ground conditions makes it difficult to track if our aid is being used appropriately, which is why a special inspector general with a singular focus on Ukraine aid is needed.

Foreign policy experts in Washington have continued to tell the American people that support and aid for Ukraine are critical to our own national defense. If that is true, those who favor assistance must bring the American people along with them by providing answers to their questions. The American people deserve to know how taxpayer dollars are being spent, what victory looks like, what our commitments to rebuilding are, and what the total cost will be— in terms of discrete taxpayer dollars and the opportunity costs associated with using our finite resources in Ukraine.

Transparency and robust accountability should be celebrated. Senator Hawley’s amendment represents a necessary step in that direction.