The Senate will add two Republican-led provisions to the annual defense bill passed Thursday to create a special inspector general to oversee U.S. security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which now exceeds $75 billion. voted against.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, a senior member of the Armed Services Subcommittee, said: fix The Senate’s 2024 National Defense Authorization Bill includes the appointment of a chief inspector general to oversee the “independent and objective conduct” of audits of all aid to Ukraine, according to Senate records. Most Democrats voted against the amendment, and one Republican, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against it, but he proposed his own amendment. We’re screwed. fix Add oversight of Ukraine to the existing Special Inspector General over U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Democratic Senators John Ossoff (Georgia) and Senator John Tester (Montana), who were the only senators to vote for Mr Wicker’s version, voted 51 to 48 against the bill needed to amend it. It didn’t reach 60 votes. One Democrat abstains according to Go to roll call overview. (Related article: ‘Honesty is key’: Afghanistan pitfalls could be replicated in Ukraine, watchdog finds)

Mr. Paul’s proposal was rejected bipartisanly 20-78, two Democrats did not vote, roll call summary show.

Currently, the United States oversees aid to Ukraine through a joint program overseen by the Departments of Defense (DOD), the Department of State, and the Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Oversight agencies have found evidence of inadequate end-use tracking practices, with dozens of audits and reviews underway.

Wicker accused Democrats of opposing “reasonable and effective efforts to implement additional oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine.” statement Thursday.

“If taxpayers can be confident that their money is being spent on a transparent and effective basis, parliamentarians will be in a much better position to support Ukraine,” he added.

The Pentagon’s OIG has made oversight of the $113.4 billion spent on Ukraine a top priority. Watch Inspector General Rob Storch’s testimony on Ukraine surveillance in advance. #HFAC. pic.twitter.com/cNOx5l2A0Y

— Department of Defense Inspector General (@DoD_IG) March 29, 2023

The two bills differ in several respects. Wickers will set up offices under the supervision of the Departments of State and Defense to develop a “comprehensive oversight” plan to ensure that U.S. programs and material assistance related to supporting the Ukrainian resistance meet their objectives. to ensure the accuracy of the administration’s financial reporting. .

Meanwhile, Paul had planned to expand the responsibilities of the Special Inspector General for Reconstruction of Afghanistan, created in 2008 to oversee US aid to Afghanistan, to include aid to Ukraine. The IG would have been tasked with promoting “economic efficiency,” keeping heads of state informed of “problems and deficiencies,” and tracking remedial action.

But Wicker and the foreign affairs subcommittee have vowed to continue to advocate a “more, better, faster” approach to helping Ukraine.

So far, the Biden administration has sent nearly $77 billion to Ukraine for combined humanitarian, economic and security purposes. according to to the Council on Foreign Relations.

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