Comer & Oversight Republicans Request Transparency from Agencies on Billions in Taxpayer-Funded Ukraine Assistance

Send letter to U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Oversight Committee Republicans are calling on the federal government agencies administering more than $113 billion in U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine to provide documents and information to ensure that these dollars are being protected from waste, fraud, and abuse.

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is conducting oversight of the federal government’s administration of U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Congress has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance.It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse. The Committee seeks documents and information to understand how the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (State), and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) are conducting oversight of these funds,” wrote the Republican lawmakers.

Under Republican leadership, the Oversight Committee is returning to is primary duty to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government. During a recent hearing investigating emergency pandemic spending, the Oversight Committee heard from government witnesses that rushed timelines which prioritize spending quickly can leave programs vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse. Committee Republicans will conduct oversight of Ukraine spending to ensure that these funds are being monitored for risks.

The Republican lawmakers continued, “Providing security and humanitarian assistance for warfighting and reconstruction purposes comes with an inherent risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. The United States must identify these risks and develop oversight mechanisms to mitigate them. We learned from efforts in Afghanistan that the World Bank does not always have effective monitoring and accounting of funds, and often lacks transparency. We also learned that unrealistic timelines and expectations that prioritize spending quickly lead to increased corruption and reduced effectiveness of programs.As the United States continues to filter assistance through multilateral organizations with pressure to spend funds quickly, we must ensure proper protections are in place to prevent the misuse of funds.”

Read the full letter here.