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FIRST ON FOX: Amidst a warfare of words betwixt President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sen. Josh Hawley is pitching authorities that would instal a peculiar inspector wide for Ukraine aid.
Hawley, R-Mo., is reintroducing authorities helium sponsored on with Vice President J.D. Vance, erstwhile Vance was successful the Senate, for an autarkic watchdog to audit the over-$174 cardinal Congress has appropriated for Ukraine aid.
The Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance Act was voted down by the then-Democratic-controlled Senate erstwhile Hawley archetypal introduced it successful 2023. But with Republican power of some chambers of Congress and President Donald Trump’s expanding vexation implicit Ukraine aid, Hawley believes it present has a accidental of becoming law.
"American taxpayers shouldn’t person to wonderment wherever their billions successful assistance to Ukraine went and what they’re backing determination now. They merit an accounting of each penny Congress shipped implicit there," Hawley said successful a statement.
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The watchdog would beryllium akin to those created for Afghanistan reconstruction, known arsenic SIGAR, and 1 created to analyse CARES Act fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic, known arsenic SIGPR, and different created aft the 2008 fiscal situation to audit the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).
Under Hawley's bill, an inspector wide bureau for Ukraine would behaviour oversight of assistance programs tally by the Defense Department, State Department, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The authorities would siphon dollars from the Ukraine Economic Assistance Fund for the bureau and the inspector wide would beryllium required to taxable quarterly reports to Congress connected the office’s findings.
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And arsenic Congress hashes retired a fund blueprint, Hawley has issued a informing to Senate leaders not to effort to "slip in" Ukraine aid. "We shouldn't beryllium giving a dime much to Ukraine. We should beryllium auditing the billions we've already fixed them," helium said.
Hawley's enactment comes arsenic tensions betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy reached a fever transportation this week aft Trump called the Ukrainian person a "dictator" who "never should person started" the war.
Zelenskyy successful crook said Trump is operating successful a "disinformation space."
This week, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and nationalist information advisor Mike Waltz sat down with their Russian counterparts and agreed to summation their diplomatic presences successful each other’s nations.
Hawley, portion veering distant from calling Zelenskyy a "dictator," backed up Trump’s assertion that Ukraine needed to clasp elections, adjacent successful a clip of war.
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"We held elections during World War II," Hawley said. "If they're a democracy, they should clasp elections. I don't deliberation that's difficult."
"[Zelenskyy] is the elected leader of the country," said Hawley. "But, you know, astatine a definite constituent you've got to clasp elections."
Trump has been pushing Zelenskyy to wage up for past U.S. support. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Ukraine to manus the Ukrainian president a draught woody entitling the U.S. to hundreds of billions worthy of its minerals.
National information advisor Mike Waltz said Thursday Ukraine needs to "tone it down" and motion the mineral deal.
"We presented the Ukrainians truly an unthinkable and historical accidental to person the United States of America co-invest with Ukraine, put successful its economy, put successful its earthy resources and truly go a spouse successful Ukraine's aboriginal successful a mode that's sustainable, but besides would beryllium – I deliberation – the champion information warrant they could ever anticipation for, overmuch much than different pallet of ammunition," helium said.
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