First appearance on Fox: Republican lawmakers sent a letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday asking him to provide more accurate numbers on aid to Ukraine.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), along with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), wrote the letter, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital. Sullivan said it was submitted after a White House briefing last week. Since the start of the war in February 2022, the Biden administration said it has sent about $79.9 billion in aid to Ukraine.
But a week earlier, the White House Office of Management and Budget gave Mr. Vance’s office a chart showing at least $101 billion in spending and plans for additional spending.
A group of lawmakers who have been vocal critics of aid to Ukraine are calling for a $31.1 billion discrepancy between his statements and OMB data to be resolved.
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Sen. J.D. Vance attends a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“We clarify your statement and state the total budget of all government departments provided for the war in Ukraine and “countries affected by the situation in Ukraine,” as well as other expenditures made by the state. I am writing this letter to provide you with an opportunity to be clear. U.S. taxpayers related to the dispute,” they wrote.
The letter also asks for clarification on the source of the funding, the possibility of reprogramming from the base funds that increased total spending, and the targeting of additional funds in the Pentagon’s coffers.
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Congressman Matt Gaetz speaks after House Republicans met to elect party leadership at the U.S. Capitol on November 15, 2022. (Mandel Gunn/AFP via Getty Images)
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Lawmakers also cited reports that funding for arms shipments to Ukraine from the Pentagon’s stockpile would continue in the event of a government shutdown, with $6.2 billion in aid available. This amount is not included in OMB’s spreadsheets, further complicating the total amount of aid provided.
“The administration stated the following on August 10th.[p]Additional spending for direct military aid, economic and humanitarian aid, and other support has been committed or is about to be committed, yet somehow no funds are available for the Ukraine war. There are many more,” the letter states.
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Congressman Chip Roy speaks during a press conference with the House Freedom Caucus on debt limit negotiations on Capitol Hill, March 10, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In May, the Pentagon overestimated the amount of ammunition, missiles and other military equipment it sent to Ukraine by an estimated $3 billion. Since then, a chorus of mostly Republican lawmakers has called for oversight of funds sent to the Eastern European country.
FOX News Digital has reached out to Sullivan for comment.
