The bill failed with a vote of 51-48, with Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), John Ossoff (D-GA), and Jon Tester (D-MT) breaking with their parties. Independents Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME) joined Democrats in opposing the amendment.
Amendment 1055, which would have allocated $10 million of the NDAA's $866 billion budget to create the new office, aimed to develop and implement a joint strategic plan for comprehensive oversight of all U.S. appropriations for Ukraine. However, it did not receive enough support to pass.
August 01, 2023
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), the author of the amendment, expressed his disappointment with his Democrat colleagues for not supporting the effort to enhance oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine. He emphasized the importance of ensuring transparency and effectiveness in the use of taxpayer money, stating, "Lawmakers are far better positioned to support Ukraine when taxpayers feel confident that their money is spent on a transparent and effective basis. I will continue promoting rigorous oversight of Ukrainian military aid as I also push the Biden administration to provide Ukraine the weapons it needs to win this war."
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In an OpEd published in USA Today prior to the vote, Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and John Kennedy (R-LA) highlighted the need for accountability in the allocation of funds to Ukraine. They emphasized that taxpayers in Arizona and Louisiana contribute to this investment and deserve to know that every dollar sent to Ukraine is used to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin and maintain peace for the United States and its allies.
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They called for a dedicated team of regional experts to closely monitor all streams of military, financial, and humanitarian aid flowing into Ukraine, stating that their bill, the Independent and Objective Oversight of Ukrainian Assistance Act, would address this need.
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Senator Paul, for the second consecutive year, attempted to add his own oversight amendment to the NDAA. His amendment aimed to extend the oversight authority of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to supervise American spending in Ukraine and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. However, his amendment was voted down by a margin of 78-20.
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Journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out that Senator Paul voted against amendment 1055 because he believed that the existing Inspector General should handle this oversight, rather than creating a new agency for the purpose.
The NDAA passed with a vote of 86-11 and will now move to the U.S. House, which has already passed its defense policy bill with a vote of 219-210.
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