House Republicans demand transparency from Biden admin on how US funds are being spent in Ukraine
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Budget Committee are demanding a full accounting of all funds sent by the United States to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Budget Committee Oversight Task Force Chairman Jack Bergman, R-Mich., directed a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, demanding transparency regarding the strategy behind sending billions of dollars overseas.
‘It has now been over 20 months since Russia invaded Ukraine. Congress has provided $114 billion in supplemental appropriations – not including potentially billions in additional repurposed, transferred, and reprogrammed funds – and yet we are no closer to getting a clear picture of the Biden Administration’s strategy for providing U.S. assistance in Ukraine,’ the letter reads, asserting that Congress remains in the dark on how funds are being spent.
In a press release shared first with Fox News Digital, the committee urged ‘the Biden Administration be accountable, transparent, and most importantly, honest, with the American people about funding for Ukraine.’
Members of the Budget Committee, alongside Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, sent an initial letter to OMB in January regarding the continuous funding to Ukraine, but have yet to receive a response as of October.
‘What has become abundantly clear, however, is that this conflict is far from over – therefore, it is imperative that the Biden Administration be accountable, transparent, and most importantly, honest, with the American people about funding for Ukraine,’ the committee wrote. ‘As you are aware, it is Congress that has the power of the purse, and there’s no excuse for Congress to be unaware of how congressionally appropriated funds are being spent.’
The United States sent over $100 billion of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine since the beginning of its war against Russia, according to the White House.
The committee seeks to understand where each dollar went, specifically demanding ‘a full accounting of expenditures, transfers and reprogrammed funds, as well as obligations, apportionments, and outlays for each appropriations account providing assistance to Ukraine.’
As the House seeks to gain answers on past funding expenditures to Ukraine, President Biden’s OMB is asking Congress to pass an emergency supplemental funding package that would supply even more aid to the country amid its conflict with Russia.
The $100 billion package also includes assistance to Israel and U.S. southern border funding, but it gives $61.4 billion to Ukraine and only $14.3 billion to Israel amid its brutal war with Hamas.
The request was quickly counteracted by Senate Republicans who are seeking to eliminate additional Ukraine funding from aid packages to Israel. GOP Sens. Vance, Roger Marshall, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee introduced the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, which seeks to increase Israel’s defense capabilities against Hamas and contains no additional funding to Ukraine.
As Congress scrambles to align on an aid package, the House Budget Committee seeks to ensure that the Biden administration’s ‘spending and revenue decisions are transparent.’
‘Pursuant of Rule X the Committee on the Budget has jurisdiction over ‘the budget process generally,’ including the executive budget process. The Committee’s responsibilities in this area include ‘ensuring spending and revenue decisions are transparent and effectively carried out by the Executive Branch,’’ the committee’s letter read. ‘This entails the duty to elicit accurate information about expenditure and related matters from the Executive Branch to keep the federal government accountable to the American people.’
The committee also requests Young testify before the House Budget Committee on the spending of the funds.
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.