The chairman of the Home Oversight Committee James Comer (R-Ky) has written to Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Energy to demand a full accounting of the $113 billion in taxpayer funds the Biden regime has supplied to the corrupt regime in Kiev.
Whereas Nationwide Safety spokesman John Kirby claimed to not have seen “any indicators” of corruption in Ukraine, Comer identified these claims “got here someday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired a number of high Ukrainian officers amid a corruption scandal.” Offering US taxpayer funds in a struggle zone “comes with an inherent danger of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Comer wrote, noting that “unrealistic timelines and expectations that prioritize spending shortly result in elevated corruption.”
DoD, State and USAID should now produice all paperwork associated to US support to Ukraine by March 8, 2023. The letter was signed by republican Representatives together with Jim Jordan, Nancy Mace, Andy Biggs, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Anna Paulina Luna.
Expensive Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, and Administrator Energy:
The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is conducting oversight of the federal authorities’s administration of U.S. taxpayer-funded help to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine practically a yr in the past, Congress has supplied greater than $113 billion for safety, humanitarian, financial, and governance help. It’s important that authorities businesses administering these funds guarantee they’re used for his or her meant functions to stop and scale back the danger of waste, fraud, and abuse. The Committee seeks paperwork and data to grasp how the Division of Protection (DOD), Division of State (State), and the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth’s (USAID) are conducting oversight of those funds.
On January 25, 2023, U.S. Nationwide Safety Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby claimed, “We’ve got not seen any indicators that our budgetary help has fallen prey to any form of corruption in Ukraine,” and that each one direct budgetary help, “goes by the World Financial institution.” Mr. Kirby continued, “I’d go as far as to say the identical on the safety help facet as effectively.” These claims got here someday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired a number of high Ukrainian officers amid a corruption scandal. Ukrainian authorities officers allegedly engaged in bribery, used authorities automobiles for private use, and bought inflated meals provides for Ukrainian forces. In response, President Zelensky named a brand new Minister of Protection. Based mostly on Mr. Kirby’s remarks, nevertheless, the U.S. Nationwide Safety Council seems unaware of this corruption scandal, heightening issues that U.S. businesses should not conducting oversight of taxpayer help to Ukraine.
Offering safety and humanitarian help for warfighting and reconstruction functions comes with an inherent danger of fraud, waste, and abuse. The USA should establish these dangers and develop oversight mechanisms to mitigate them. We realized from efforts in Afghanistan that the World Financial institution doesn’t all the time have efficient monitoring and accounting of funds, and sometimes lacks transparency. We additionally realized that unrealistic timelines and expectations that prioritize spending shortly result in elevated corruption and decreased effectiveness of applications. As america continues to filter help by multilateral organizations with stress to spend funds shortly, we should guarantee correct protections are in place to stop the misuse of funds.
To help the Committee’s investigation into what’s being achieved to stop waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer funded help to Ukraine, please present the next paperwork and data, masking the interval February 24, 2022, to the current, as quickly as attainable, however no later than, March 8, 2023:
1. All paperwork and communications concerning methods for end-use monitoring of weapons, tools, direct budgeting help, and some other type of financial or safety help for the Ukrainian folks;
- All paperwork and communications concerning any anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, together with however not restricted to any paperwork and communications detailing plans to situation help on Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts and the way the U.S. is aiding Ukraine in growing an anti-corruption technique;
- All paperwork and communications concerning how a lot cash has been disbursed for Ukrainian help and the way a lot stays within the spending pipeline;
- All paperwork and communications concerning any financial help applications for the Ukrainian authorities;
- All paperwork and communications concerning funds given to multilateral organizations for the aim of Ukrainian help and any data concerning any oversight mechanisms with respect to these organizations;
- All paperwork and communications concerning any benchmarks for fulfillment of applications funded by help to Ukraine; and
- All paperwork and communications concerning any situations imposed on funds supplied as help to Ukraine.
The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the U.S. Home of Representatives and has broad authority to research “any matter” at “any time” beneath Home Rule X. Thanks in your immediate consideration to this matter.
Sincerely,
James Comer
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Signatories: Jim Jordan, Clay Higgins, Jake LaTurner, Kelly Armstrong, Nancy Mace, Lisa McClain, Virginia Foxx, Andy Biggs, Byron Donalds, Scott Perry, Tim Burchett, Pete Periods, William R. Timmons, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Russell Fry, Chuck Edwards, Eric Burlison, Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna , Nick Langworthy
