ARM BUT VERIFY: A BLUEPRINT FOR RIGOROUS OVERSIGHT OF FUTURE UKRAINE AID
REID SMITH AND TYLER KOTESKEYAUGUST 14, 2023
The White House has approached Congress for the next tranche of U.S. assistance to Ukraine, proposing $24 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian aid. This request will face stiffer political headwinds than previous appeals. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, as Ukraine’s very existence swung in the balance, elected officials in the United States generally welcomed President Joseph Biden’s requests for aid. Fortunately, Kyiv’s fierce resistance foiled Russia’s expansive war aims. However, as the fighting has ground on with no end in sight, supplemental aid to Ukraine has become increasingly politicized. Recent polling suggests Americans are skeptical of additional support while Speaker Kevin McCarthy secured the latest debt limit deal, in part, by rejecting the prospect of further supplemental spending.
This presents Congress with an opportunity to fulfill its constitutionally mandated oversight role by asking hard questions that demand clear answers. Oversight is not an end in itself. If done right, it can clarify whether current appropriations are achieving intended results, especially when weighed against competing priorities. This will help heighten transparency, increase attention to American interests, and raise the prospects of a viable endgame for the war.
With this in mind, Congress should pursue a series of measures to ensure better Ukraine aid oversight and a more robust strategic dialogue about how U.S. involvement in the war impacts American interests. A year and a half into the war, Congress should demand a dedicated Ukraine aid inspector general. Cognizant of tradeoffs, legislators should pursue policies that ensure any supplemental aid is offset under the terms of discretionary spending caps, requiring collective matching from allies with greater interests at stake, and mandating certifications that drawdowns are not undermining U.S. readiness in key theaters. To limit the existential risk of direct NATO-Russia hostilities, Congress should require topline reporting on the number and missions of U.S. personnel in Ukraine and direct the president to make clear what escalatory uses of aid America will not support. Finally, as a condition of future approvals, Congress should require the administration to provide a strategy articulating U.S. goals in Ukraine, detailing both the role of current aid and the steps being taken to facilitate an eventual end to the conflict.
https://warontherocks.com/2023/08/arm-but-verify-a-blueprint-for-rigorous-oversight-of-future-ukraine-aid/
