Hawley amendment to create inspector to oversee Ukraine aid blocked in Senate

An amendment proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) to create an Inspector General to oversee the $110 billion in aid given to Ukraine was blocked in the Senate on Wednesday.

The amendment to bill S. 316, which repealed the 1991 and 2002 Authorization of Military Force (AUMF), passed in the Senate but the amendment failed 26-68.

Hawley made the point that the amendment wasn't even about whether senators supported aid to Ukraine or not (he doesn't) but is instead about accountability and making sure the aid money given to Ukraine doesn't get into corrupt hands and be misused.

“It’s very hard to argue that there should not be robust oversight, which is what this amendment does, so I would hope this would not be controversial,” Hawley added. Unfortunately, Democrats have lost all common sense and can only act in lockstep with their leadership, which is against all spending accountability.

Hawley suggested John Sopko, the current inspector general for Afghanistan, be tapped for the role if it did come to fruition.

“He’s done a terrific job – maybe he’d like to do this job. I mean, he already knows how to do it. And that’s winding down. Maybe he’d like to shift over to Ukraine. I think that would probably be my first choice, but somebody like him, who’s been tough, tenacious, and independent,” Hawley said.