Senate Democrats block oversight office to monitor US aid for Ukraine

Senate Democrats banded together Wednesday night to oppose the creation of a new office to audit US military assistance for Ukraine as part of a provision in the annual defense spending bill.

Forty-five Democrats — including every member of the Senate Armed Services Committee — voted down an amendment to establish an Office of the Lead Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance as part of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also joined the Democrats in rejecting the new oversight office.

The Democratic opposition — which included several senators in vulnerable seats such as Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania — kept the amendment from clearing the required 60-vote threshold to be part of the bill.

If passed, it would have allotted $10 million from the NDAA’s $886 billion budget toward the creation of a 30-person inspector general’s office.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) drafted the provision.

“I am dismayed that my Democrat colleagues withheld support for this reasonable, effective effort to conduct additional oversight of US aid to Ukraine,” Wicker said in a statement. “Lawmakers are far better positioned to support Ukraine when taxpayers feel confident that their money is spent on a transparent and effective basis. I will continue promoting rigorous oversight of Ukrainian military aid as I also push the Biden administration to provide Ukraine the weapons it needs to win this war.”

It was also co-sponsored by a broad coalition that included critics of defense aid for Ukraine such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

“I guess all of a sudden we have billions of dollars laying around that we can just give to Ukraine,” Hawley said in March on Fox News. “It’s an affront to the American taxpayers, the American people, and it’s gotta stop.”