{"id":1975845,"date":"2023-07-18T05:09:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T09:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-ukraine-comments-focus-spotlight-on-how-much-money-us-has-already-sent\/"},"modified":"2023-07-18T05:11:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T09:11:35","slug":"trumps-ukraine-comments-focus-spotlight-on-how-much-money-us-has-already-sent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-ukraine-comments-focus-spotlight-on-how-much-money-us-has-already-sent\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Ukraine remarks highlight US&#8217;s substantial financial aid."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-ukraine-comments-focus-spotlight-on-how-much-money-us-has-already-sent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1975845&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former \u2062President Donald\u2063 Trump\u2019s Comment on Ukraine\u200c Aid\u2064 Draws \u200cCriticism<\/h2>\n<p>Former President\u200b Donald Trump\u2019s\u200d comment \u2063on\u200c Sunday\u2064 that he would\u2064 send even more\u2063 resources to \u2064Ukraine than \u2064President\u2064 Joe \u200cBiden has, contradicting his prior criticism\u2064 of the U.S.\u2063 involvement \u2064in \u200bthe\u2064 war,\u200d has\u2063 drawn\u2062 fire from the \u200dgrowing number \u200bof\u200b conservatives opposed to supporting the Ukrainians.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also\u200c refocused\u2062 attention \u2062on how \u2062much\u2063 taxpayer money has \u2062already gone \u2062to Ukraine\u2063 \u2014 and how little \u2062the\u2062 federal\u200d government \u200cknows about what \u2063it \u2063bought.<\/p>\n<h3>Uncertainty Surrounding Aid Effectiveness and\u200d Resource Allocation<\/h3>\n<p>How effective \u200dthe \u200daid \u200bhas been \u2062so far, however, remains \u2062unclear.<\/p>\n<p>And\u200b the amount \u2064of resources\u2063 Ukraine \u2064has \u2063received\u200d to date\u2062 has been\u2062 staggering.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064Department \u200bof Defense\u2019s watchdog\u200c found that the\u2064 military\u2062 has not\u2062 consistently\u2064 taken inventory \u200dof which Ukraine-bound weapons \u200bare going where, clouding the Pentagon\u2019s picture of \u2064whether military\u2063 resources \u2063are being \u200cused according to the \u200bagreements \u2063the \u200dU.S. has\u2064 struck\u2064 with Ukraine, \u200dthe inspector general said \u200din \u200da \u2063report published \u2063June \u200b28.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. officials\u2062 in Poland\u2063 \u201cwere not always physically present\u201d to \u2063document the weapons\u2064 the Pentagon was transferring from logistics hubs \u200bin Poland to \u200cUkraine, the inspector general\u2064 found.\u2064 Military officials are\u2063 supposed to keep \u2064track of the serial numbers \u2062of\u2062 certain \u200cweapons,\u200b such \u200cas \u2064Javelin missiles, \u200bthat they send\u2062 to \u200dUkraine \u2062in order to\u200c ensure\u200b each \u2064and \u200cevery one makes it to its intended \u200cdestination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a \u200dresult, \u200bthe DoD \u2063is \u200bcurrently\u200b not fully conducting inventories\u201d \u2062of all the defense\u200b materials that require extra scrutiny under\u200c the law.<\/p>\n<p>Part of \u2062the problem, the\u200b inspector general\u2064 found, \u2063was\u2064 that there was \u200d\u201conly one person who \u200bconducts the serial number inventories \u200din\u200d Poland before\u2062 the \u2063defense articles enter\u2064 Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, this is \u200ba significant\u200b challenge\u2064 because at \u200bleast \u2063one \u2064of\u2064 the logistics locations is \u2062around \u206490 miles, or approximately a\u200b two hour drive,\u2062 from \u200cthe others,\u201d the \u200bwatchdog\u2062 noted.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 lack \u200dof documentation \u2064of those\u200b specific \u200cmaterials going \u200cfrom Poland to Ukraine\u200c is just \u2063one of many problems watchdogs \u2064from\u2062 various agencies\u2062 have warned could arise \u2064or have \u200duncovered\u200d so \u200bfar as they attempt to\u200c oversee \u200dthe\u200b piles of \u2063money\u2064 Congress\u200d has \u200csent.<\/p>\n<p>In another report published on \u200bJune 8, the Defense\u2064 Department\u200b inspector \u2062general wrote\u2064 that \u200dmilitary officials \u200bweren\u2019t\u200c following procedures for tracking\u2063 defense\u2062 supplies \u2062sent to Ukraine by\u200c air and \u201ccould not confirm \u2062the \u2064quantities\u2063 of \u200bdefense \u2063items received against the quantity of items shipped\u201d for \u200bmost\u200c of\u200c the shipments\u2064 the watchdog observed.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2064 other \u2064words,\u200c the Pentagon\u2019s \u200binspector \u200dgeneral\u200c has repeatedly found \u2062that the \u200bmilitary \u200dis \u2062not keeping\u2062 adequate\u2063 tabs on the expensive\u2064 supplies it is\u2062 sending \u2063to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns About Corruption and Black Markets<\/h3>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s \u200cthriving \u200dblack\u200d markets and its \u2063struggles with corruption have\u200d heightened concerns among some \u2064critics\u2062 about the\u200d influx of money and weapons, although\u2063 many lawmakers have downplayed \u200dthose\u200b concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine had one of the biggest illegal\u2062 gun markets\u200b in\u200d the\u200b world before \u200cthe\u2063 Russian invasion, \u200dand after the annexation \u200bof\u2063 Crimea in 2013, as many as 300,000 firearms\u2063 and other weapons\u200d disappeared,\u200d with\u2064 most hitting the\u2064 black market,\u200b according to \u200dthe Cato \u200bInstitute.<\/p>\n<p>A\u2064 handful \u200cof unproven reports have\u2062 suggested\u200b the\u200d weapons and ammunition the U.S. is giving \u2062to Ukraine \u200chave\u200b already ended\u2062 up \u200delsewhere,\u2063 although concrete evidence of widespread\u200b fraud has \u200cnot yet emerged.<\/p>\n<p>The president\u200b of\u200b Nigeria\u200b claimed \u200clast \u200dyear that\u2063 weapons \u200bmeant\u200c for the Ukrainian war\u2063 have ended up\u2062 in Africa. A \u2063veteran \u200cAmerican journalist reported \u2063that\u2062 smugglers in Romania and Poland were selling weapons meant for\u200c Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Republican critics of\u200d the\u2064 effort have noted\u2063 that, for the \u200cmore than $65 \u200cbillion in defense support \u2063that \u2064Ukraine has\u2064 received\u2063 from\u2063 the U.S., the dynamics of the \u2063war have remained \u2062relatively\u2064 unchanged and \u200dappear set \u2063for \u200cthe foreseeable future.<\/p>\n<h3>Challenges in Tracking Humanitarian Aid<\/h3>\n<p>Beyond \u200bthe military \u2062aid that Trump has\u2062 said he would consider\u2062 increasing, \u200dCongress has sent \u200ba significant \u200camount of \u2064other\u2063 types of support.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly $4\u200c billion \u2062of\u200d the \u2062aid has\u2062 been humanitarian, ostensibly \u200cproviding things \u200blike food \u2064and\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">emergency medical care<\/a> to\u200c Ukrainians.<\/p>\n<p>Humanitarian \u2063aid is \u2062notoriously difficult to\u200c track in\u2063 combat or disaster zones.<\/p>\n<p>After a \u200cdevastating\u200c earthquake in \u200cHaiti\u2062 in \u200c2010, for example, the U.S. government poured\u2064 millions of dollars\u2063 through the U.S. \u2064Agency \u2063for International \u200cDevelopment \u2064and\u200d other agencies \u200cinto the recovery\u2063 effort;\u2064 only \u200c1% went to the \u2062actual Haitian government, \u200dand most of the money \u2063went \u2064to American private \u200cdevelopment companies.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d Special Inspector General\u200b for \u2064Afghanistan\u200c Reconstruction\u2062 has said\u2064 as \u200cmuch\u2063 as 30% of the\u2064 funding\u2064 it reviewed\u2064 was wasted or \u200dlost to fraud, resulting in\u2064 billions \u2063of\u200d dollars for Afghanistan that \u200bdid \u2064not go to\u2063 their intended \u200cdestinations.<\/p>\n<p>USAID&#8217;s watchdog said that\u200c as of April, it\u200c had received 226 complaints\u2062 from Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Some \u2063of\u200d the\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-ukraine-comments-focus-spotlight-on-how-much-money-us-has-already-sent\/\" title=\"Trump's Ukraine remarks highlight US's substantial financial aid.\">complaints\u200b disclosed \u200cinvolved false bank statements<\/a> and invoices \u2064from people trying\u200b to \u2064steal some\u200c of the aid\u2063 money USAID\u200b had \u2064provided.<\/p>\n<p>Congress is already \u200bpoised \u200cto send more money to\u2063 Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Marjorie \u2062Taylor Greene (R-GA)\u200c introduced an \u200camendment\u200c last week \u2062to strip\u200d out the\u200b $300 million \u2064of funding \u200cfor Ukraine from the National Defense Authorization \u2064Act, \u2062the \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-allocate-5-million-for-national-science-foundation-diversity-officer\/\" title=\"Democrats Allocate  Million for National Science Foundation \u2018Diversity Officer\u2019\">annual defense spending bill<\/a>; Republicans joined with \u2062Democrats to\u200b defeat it 89-341.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns About\u2064 Transparency, Readiness, \u200band\u200b Conflict Involvement<\/h3>\n<p>Biden \u2064pledged even more aid for Ukraine last week\u2062 at \u2064the NATO \u200csummit\u200c in\u2064 Lithuania, laying out \u200dwhat\u200d amounted to \u200ca <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ilhan-omar-blasts-stacey-abrams-for-opposing-georgia-boycotts-demands-support-for-civil-rights-movement\/\" title=\"Ilhan Omar Blasts Stacey Abrams For Opposing Georgia Boycotts, Demands Support For \u2018Civil Rights\u2019 Movement\">long-term commitment<\/a> of \u2064support\u2062 for Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s \u2062proposal to\u200b increase the amount of aid\u2062 Ukraine has received \u2062would therefore have\u2062 to overcome \u200da lack\u2063 of \u2063transparency into \u2064where the \u2062existing money has\u2064 already \u2064gone,\u2062 the \u2062inability \u2063of\u200c the \u2064military \u200bto provide\u2062 certain types of \u200cammunition \u2062as \u200bit is, and\u200d the\u2063 heightened risk \u200bthat \u2062more powerful and\u2062 plentiful American \u200bweapons\u2064 could \u200ddrag\u2064 the U.S.\u2062 directly\u2064 into\u2064 a\u2064 conflict \u200cTrump has\u2062 previously said he does not\u2062 want \u2064to fight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s recent statement, promising greater aid to Ukraine than President Joe Biden, has sparked criticism from conservatives who previously opposed U.S. involvement in the war. This has reignited discussions about the amount of taxpayer funds allocated to Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1975846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1975845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1975845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1975846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1975845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1975845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}