Republican and Democratic lawmakers questioned Pentagon officials Tuesday over how the Department of Defense tracks United States military assistance to Ukraine.
During the House Armed Service Committee hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., was joined by several colleagues in hammering Defense officials Colin Kahl and Robert Storch's position that U.S. aid was likely not being misused in Ukraine.
"We think the Ukrainians are using properly what they've been given," said Kahl, the undersecretary of Defense for policy. He further insisted that the department has not "seen any evidence of diversion" from U.S. assistance to Kyiv.
Storch, the Defense Department's inspector general, partially affirmed Kahl's statement. The official could not confirm whether aid abuse was occurring but assured that his watchdog team was investigating the issue.
"You cannot testify that everything is complying with the law in end-use monitoring," Gaetz shot back at Storch. "If you could testify to that, you would."
Democratic Reps. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Joe Courtney of Connecticut jumped in the line of questioning, specifically asking how the U.S. could ensure weapons were not being sold on the international black market.
"There are always going to be things you don't know that are happening and you don't see," Kahl said. "But we are not seeing any evidence of systemic diversion of the equipment the United States has provided."
Congress has approved over $113 billion in security and military assistance to Ukraine since the onset of Russia's February 2022 invasion. Included in the packages has been roughly $42 million for oversight efforts.
The Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group, created to facilitate the allotment, wrote in a November news release that it would "deliver robust and strategic oversight to hold accountable those who seek to corrupt or abuse these vital programs and activities."
"Effectively communicating our plan and the results of our work with Congress and the public is key to the success of our oversight mission," the Defense and State Department watchdogs stated.
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