MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2022) The US Republican lawmakers in charge of foreign policy have sent a request to the US Chamber of Commerce to obtain detailed information on the effectiveness of economic and humanitarian assistance that Washington has been providing to Ukraine.
"Information requested includes how the administration is coordinating with international donors as well as the effectiveness of existing oversight mechanisms, including the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group and Deloitte's third party monitoring work," the statement, released on Thursday, read.
The request was sent by Republican leaders of the US House and Senate foreign affairs committees Michael McCaul and James Risch.
The statement added that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has committed over $14.9 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including $13 billion in direct budget support to the Ukrainian government, $667 million in economic and food security assistance, and $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance.
In late November, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Congress to pass a full-year appropriations bill, known as an omnibus, instead of another stopgap resolution. A long-term appropriations bill is needed for critical investments in military infrastructure and to compete with China, Austin said.
Last week, Politico reported that US Defense Department officials had drawn a list of dire consequences that Washington might face if Congress failed to pass a full-year omnibus spending legislation. The document would cut defense funding by $29 billion, or 3.7%, compared to US President Joe Biden's budget proposal, Politico said, citing senior defense department officials and internal documents.
The US might also face problems with improving its industrial base for the Abrams tank and the M777 towed howitzer, both of which have been supplied to Ukraine, if there is no omnibus bill, Politico said.
