The upcoming Republican Congress is set to step up scrutiny of US military support for Ukraine, with the total figure since Russia’s invasion approaching $20 billion.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has previously said there will be no “blank cheque” for Ukraine when Republicans take power next year.
He faces pressure from his party’s right flank, which has expressed skepticism about Ukraine even as the country’s military has helped repel Russian military forces after a repeated injection of missiles, sophisticated mortars and drones.
“Even aid critics can have a valid point, and I think the administration and Ukrainians would be well advised to prevent abuses before they happen.” Once that happens, you can’t roll it out,” said Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“I fear the evidence of abuse will undermine the bipartisan consensus for aid, despite criticism from the populist right and the progressive left, it’s still a very strong consensus,” Cancian told DailyMail.com. Even a limited case of misuse or diversion of US weapons could have a detrimental impact.
Hindering traditional surveillance has been an effort to rush desperately needed ammunition to the front lines – and President Joe Biden’s determination not to send US military personnel inside Ukraine to avoid starting a war wider.
Congress “will hold our government accountable for all funding for Ukraine,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a conservative who is expected to return to her postings in the new Congress and who met with McCarthy shortly time after. the elections. McCarthy needs near-unified GOP support to win the presidency.
This all comes as the Pentagon suspends the latest potential transfer, a proposed effort by Boeing to supply the Ukrainians with precision bombs that are mounted on widely available rockets, a system dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB).
Even some House Democrats are talking about efforts to increase surveillance, following reports that US and NATO allies are seeing their own weapons stockpiles stretched, and amid fears that Sophisticated American weapons could end up in Russian hands.
“Taxpayers deserve to know the investment is going where it’s intended,” said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army ranger. Washington Post. “In any war, there can be missteps and poor distribution of supplies,” he added.
The House National Defense Authorization Act states that the Pentagon’s IG ‘will conduct comprehensive oversight and conduct reviews, audits, investigations and inspections of activities conducted by the Department of Defense’ in response to the invasion of Russia.
