(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The Democrat-run U.S. Senate blocked an amendment from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that would have created an inspector general to monitor the funds being sent to Ukraine, according to Breitbart.
The bill, S. 316, sought to withdraw longstanding authorization for U.S. military operations in Iraq. It cleared the chamber in a 66–30 vote on Wednesday.
Unlike the Iraq war, a 20-year quagmire that began during the George W. Bush administration following the terrorist 9/11 attacks, the Biden administration’s new Ukraine quagmire has been wildly popular among Democrats—who, thus far, have approved more than $100 billion in aid to subsidize the country’s war with Russia.
Much of that aid remains unaccounted for, with even the U.S. State Department admitting it has no clue how to track it once the check gets cut.
Hawley’s Amendment No. 40 to S. 316 sought to create an Office of the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance.
The office would have been tasked with the oversight of the massive amounts of funding and weaponry being funneled into Ukraine. However, the amendment failed 26-68.
Hawley argued that the purpose of the bill was neither to defend nor argue against funding Ukraine—although he does oppose that officially.
Instead, the amendment would simply provide some semblance of accountability for the billions in taxpayer money being sent to the eastern European nation, he said.
The senator even recommended John Sopko, current inspector general for Afghanistan, to fill the position.
“He’s done a terrific job—maybe he’d like to do this job,” Hawley said. “I mean, he already knows how to do it.”
Hawley noted that Sopko’s current post was “winding down” following the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
“Maybe he’d like to shift over to Ukraine,” Hawley said. “I think that would probably be my first choice—but somebody like him, who’s been tough, tenacious, and independent.”
Hawley also said it would be difficult to argue against “robust oversight” of the continual funding of a conflict America has little to do with.
In addition to the heavy financial toll on a U.S. economy teetering on the brink of recession, military leaders have expressed concerns that the U.S. shipment of weapons could undermine its own national security.
Several military officials sounded the alarm that America may not have enough weaponry to defend itself in case of an impending attack.
“The long-term challenge will be how much of that capacity can we sustain over time, post-conflict,” said Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army. “We don’t know how long the conflict will last. We don’t know how low our stocks will be.”
However, both President Joe Biden and Congress indicated that they are happy to continue spending American money for “as long as it takes.”
FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES
President Biden committed the U.S. to a proxy war in Ukraine "for as long as it takes" (said Biden) to beat Russia there.
Congress has fully met Biden's proxy war funding dictates. https://t.co/M16KKHgJp0
.— Robert Cook (@RobertC39536883) March 25, 2023
