House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer: Ukraine Funding with No Strings Attached is Unacceptable

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) told Breitbart News that “sending taxpayer funds to Ukraine with no strings attached is unacceptable,” after an Embassy spokesperson claimed U.S. money doesn’t even go to Ukraine, when asked if any funds went to a city that is currently building a new condo on a Jewish mass grave.

Breitbart News reported on Monday that the Ukrainian Embassy claims the billions of U.S. tax dollars given to them are actually “not directly allocated to Ukraine” and are really “benefiting American interests”— amid recent stories in the Associated Press and the New York Times saying money has “vanished” from Kiev.

The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy told Breitbart News that “funds authorized by American lawmakers to support Ukraine’s armament are not directly allocated to Ukraine.” Instead, a “significant portion” of the billions of dollars to Ukraine is “utilized in the United States for the construction of new weapons or to replenish those dispatched to Kyiv from U.S. reserves,” adding that “an analysis” (not specifically cited) found that “nearly 90 percent” of aid granted by Congress “is benefiting American interests.” The email from the Embassy to Breitbart News continues, “The allocation of funds doesn’t imply immediate expenditure.”

The claim by Ukraine’s Embassy came in response to Breitbart News asking if any American money is reaching the city of Uman, which is building a condo on a Jewish mass grave, desecrating the remains of pogrom victims being dug up to lay foundation, in violation of a 1994 bilateral agreement with the United States. That question was not answered.

The project is proceeding as Biden demands another $64 billion for Kiev, despite three letters from members of the U.S. Congress from both parties, demanding the cemetery be protected, as Breitbart News reported in January 2024. Breitbart News obtained photos of the project underway as of January 2.

Comer reiterated to Breitbart News in a statement that the United States has sent more than $113 billion to Ukraine, and that a continued blank check with “no strings attached” is “unacceptable.”

“The House Oversight Committee has a responsibility to prevent the waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Congress has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance. At this very moment, the Biden Administration continues to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. Sending taxpayer funds to Ukraine with no strings attached is unacceptable,” Comer told Breitbart News in reaction to Monday’s report.

“American taxpayers deserve to have their hard-earned dollars spent wisely and effectively, not squandered in programs with minimal oversight,” he continued.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that employees from a Ukrainian arms firm “conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million” allocated for weapons purchases.

That news comes months after the New York Times reported on the sacking of Ukraine’s minister of defense due to “graft” and “financial mismanagement” in the department, amid an avalanche of cash coming from the United States ostensibly to fund the war effort, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks for more.

The Times report said some prepayments for weapons had “vanished” in the bank accounts of weapons dealers, among “about $980 million in weapons contracts” that “missed their delivery dates,” in 2023.

Comer told Breitbart News that it is imperative that the U.S. government is certain American tax dollars are “used for their intended purposes,” and that the Republican Congress will “continue to conduct oversight of Ukraine spending.”

“It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are being used for their intended purposes. Oversight Republicans will continue to conduct oversight of Ukraine spending and work to prevent potential risks.”

The annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published by non-profit Transparency International, scored Ukraine 33 out of 100 in 2022, which put the country near the bottom third of 180 countries scored.

Emma-Jo Morris is the Politics Editor at Breitbart News. Email her at ejmorris@breitbart.com or follow her on Twitter.