DEMOCREPUBLIX NEWS

Blinken grilled about $4 billion in US funding for Ukrainian pensions at House hearing

According to a GOP congressman who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the US has spent $4 billion in pensions in Ukraine through foreign aid during the war. Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett questioned Secretary of State Tony Blinken about taxpayer money going toward pensions in Ukraine during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. Blinken responded that there are processes in place to ensure that the funds are going toward approved categories. He also said that most of the US funding moves through a World Bank program, which only disburses money upon receipts for authorized expenditures.

Blinken also mentioned that a report by the inspector general's office found the oversight of taxpayers' funds in Ukraine to be positive in terms of the processes that are in place and the work being done to ensure that the money is being spent appropriately and wisely. Third-party validators, such as Deloitte, are working directly with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the funds are being spent appropriately.

However, Burchett was not satisfied with Blinken's answer, stating that funding Ukrainian pensions while the US cannot fund Medicare suggests that their priorities are out of whack. Burchett's office stated that the $4 billion figure comes from a USAID report they have reviewed.

In April 2022, President Biden stated that some of the US aid to Ukraine would be put toward pensions for Ukrainians. He also stated that it would help schools and hospitals open, provide critical resources to address food shortages around the globe, and allow pensions and social support to be paid to the Ukrainian people so they have something in their pocket.

Overall, the US has spent a significant amount of money on pensions in Ukraine through foreign aid. While Blinken noted that there are processes in place to ensure that the funds are going toward approved categories, Burchett questioned whether their priorities are in the right place, particularly given that the US is struggling to fund Medicare. Nevertheless, the use of third-party validators such as Deloitte may provide some reassurance that the funds are being spent appropriately.