The Senate on Tuesday night voted down an amendment to create a special inspector general to oversee the over $113 billion that the US has authorized to spend on the war in Ukraine.
The amendment, which was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), failed in a vote of 26-68, with 24 Republicans and only two Democrats voting in favor of more oversight for the billions in weapons that are being shipped to Ukraine.
Hawley tried to add the amendment to a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Iraq Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs). The legislation to repeal the AUMFs is expected to be voted on sometime this week.
Hawley’s idea was to create a position for Ukraine similar to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which John Sopko has filled since 2012.
Sopko found tens of billions of dollars in waste in US aid to Afghanistan and issued scathing reports criticizing US policy in the country. Last month, Sopko said he fears the US will repeat the same mistakes in Ukraine.
“You’re bound to get corrupt elements of not only the Ukrainian or the host government, but also of US government contractors or other third party contractors to try to steal the money. There’s just so much money going in, and it’s hard to keep track of,” Sopko told reporters.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Hawley wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News: “Billions upon billions of American dollars are pouring into a war-torn country without any serious oversight.”
Hawley has been critical of US policy in Ukraine because he thinks the US should be focusing on building up in the Asia Pacific to face China instead. In December, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to prioritize arming Taiwan over Ukraine.
What!?! Accountability???!! That’s for unexceptional people.
“little people”, said the late Leona Helmsley.
Oversight for hundreds of billions of dollars? Nah. Don’t need it. Meanwhile IRS will file a notice for $50 of missed taxes and send you to tax court….
White collar crime on steroids.
Plus payday lenders interest rates.
Curious as to the rationale for the craven cowards who voted against this oversight.
Prob a stupid question as they do not need any rationale, just cowardice will suffice, just listen to schumer/mconnell of the uniparty.
Is this a great country or what-just send pallet loads of hundred dollar bills as in Iraq disaster-prob do not pallets anymore, just bank wires.
Don’t need any stinking oversight, we trust zelensky. (and bidens, and the other grifters feeding at the trough.)
Any US or American citizen who trusts Biden and his cohorts to act in the best interests of the working class is nuts and delusional. Every word out of his mouth is BS.He started lying 50 years ago and has never stopped to draw a breath.One war after another and further disintegration of our culture and society has always been the order of the day.Not bad from a man from a working class background from Scranton Pa to the Senator from Mastercard.I am not sure that bthe damage done by our last 5 or 6 Presidents can ever be undone.Certainly not with this batch of leaders{sic}. Clinton,Bush,Obama,Trump,Biden it makes no difference. The American public is getting screwed and is either too smug and satisfied with their toys or is too lazy and uninformed to make an effort to stop the slide into oblivion.
Agree 100%! Your point that the damage cannot be undone nails it.
I see other countries taking to the streets, e.g. currently France, and become very depressed because it will never happen here: the police are militarized, the press is an enabler, the citizens are into sports, tv trash, manipulated by uniparty,etc, etc and they will never risk taking to the streets. Look at what they would face: doj, fbi, massive police attacks.
Biden currently “enjoys” approx 40% approval rating. Think about that. 40% for this decrepit crook who cannot even read his script on the teleprompter or move off the stage on his own. Who in the heck are those 40%. Are they brain dead?
40% of the 50% that voted is not a mandate.
Let us never forget the abundance of toys that the PTB use to.distract the populace from.reality.I phones,70inch Tvs with nothing.to watch except violence and sports as well as pap for the masses .Cosmetics,Drugs Licquor to.dull.the mind and legalized Weed as another source of profit.I believe this is all part of a masterclass to.kill the revolutionary needs of labor.
“We got the movies, football and color TV” Dire Straits, Money for Nothing.
Flashbacks… “And the tricks are free”…
Interesting how they take turns, a Republican is scheduled to win the next election, Biden is done.
This coin has two sides: 1 – the aggressive militarism, 2 – the corruption.
The corruption of the political elite is a necessary condition for the domination of the aggressive militarism. On the other hand, because of the corruption, the military effort is much weaker than it could be because the greatest part of money is stolen.
“Curious as to the rationale for the craven cowards who voted against this oversight.”
I’ll guess they professed ‘trust’ in ‘our military’ and ‘our allies.’
OK, looked it up, not that, but as slimy – Republican rationale misrepresents ‘wanting to see money is properly spent’ as ‘restricting money’: implies monitoring would interfere w/war u.s. has ‘vital strategic interest’ in winning:
“‘The future of America’s security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight. Anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a Ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should Ukraine lose,’ Senate Minority Leader…McConnell…said.”
“Senate Votes Down Amendment to Create Special Watchdog for UkraineThe bill failed in a vote of 26-68”
Wrong headline! It really should read; Senate Successfully Keeps Graft and Corruption Hidden from American Voters!
There are 68 Senators from both parties who should be investigated for corruption and receiving taxpayers funds laundered through Ukraine!
“Graft and Corruption Hidden from American Voters!” – not only from voters. It is hidden also from Congress. Most congressmen don’t care where budget money are disappearing so long as they themselves have a good share of it.
мир мой друг
Beat me to it.
What a joke, a veto proof majority in support of corruption.
26 Putin’s agents are exposed.
Since the first Special Inspector General Sopko found billions of dollars of waste there will not be another Inspector General. 😉
So the crooks in Washington don’t want anyone investigating where the money is going? The U.S. has turned into a Banana Republic in short order or is it now just being exposed for all to see? Try as they might, the U.S. days of running the world are going to be coming to an end quicker than most realize.
What to say? Actively, blatantly anti-democratic – US foreign policy deliberately shielded from public view.
That is Anglo-Saxon tradition. It was always so from the times when England got the independence. In UK, and later in USA, the foreign policy was managed in the interests of the oligarchs. For example, the private army of East India British (first it was English) Company, which was busy with robbing India and China of their wealth, was bigger than the army of British Crown. Until the middle of 19th century, British Parliament was composed of the representatives of the big business and the big owners of the land. The democratization of European states started with the socialist movement. As the socialist movement in Europe was hijacked by the radicals, which brought Europe to catastrophic wars, the oligarchs became stronger again. The real democracy can be only socialistic and the real socialism can be only democratic. That’s how it works.
Eugene Debs and Henry Wallace were both discredited to our shame.
US congress just loves to waste the tax payers’ money…! And these are the same people who want to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits…!
I hope that Dave DeCamp will stay atop this story. Oversight seems like such a no-brainer to me that I want to see the arguments against the amendment.
Here’s a link to see how YOUR senators voted.
https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00076.htm#position
It is now clear as day that the USA needs a full Constitutional Convention to form a NEW government, or maybe 3 or 4. I would strongly suggest that all State Governors meet and agree in unison that DC and it’s Stooges and Ghouls no longer represent the Citizens of the USA and are working AGAINST their benefit and security and economy.
It might take some Voodoo….
Joe Biden – So long as my son Hunter has a spot in the trough with the other pigs, live and let live my friends. What’s war without profits?
I am shocked there is corruption in Politics and The US in world affairs.How did this come about? What a.bunch of crooks and creeps we have running our domestic and.foreign policies.i blame our Two party system andbthe Corporations.that buy and sell Politicians like products to.be marketed like toothpaste.The lazy electorate has a lot do do with this mess Why.vote if there is little to choose thieves?
“… and only two Democrats voting in favor of more oversight for the billions in weapons that are being shipped to Ukraine.”
My take is the progressive democrat label is as phony in the US as it is in Taiwan.
One can never have too many under-the-table income sources.
Again, the vote tells the real story, they know exactly how corrupt the Ukrainians are. It is as profitable as Afghanistan was for some 20 years. They will like a long drawn out war in Ukraine too.