Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter Wednesday to the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power, calling for answers over where U.S. taxpayer dollars are going in Ukraine after not receiving answers.
The Daily Caller first obtained the letter in which Ernst, who serves as the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, shares her concerns regarding recent reports of USAID allegedly providing taxpayer-funded assistance to support small businesses in Ukraine. Ernst said her staff contacted USAID on Nov. 1 and again on Nov. 15 over these concerns, to which the agency allegedly did not respond.
“On November 1st and November 15th, I contacted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to request details regarding your agency’s taxpayer-funded assistance in support of small businesses in Ukraine. As of today, I have not received the requested information in return. I find it deeply disappointing my repeated requests, on behalf of millions of American small businesses, are unworthy of a substantive reply,” Ernst wrote in the letter. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Joni Ernst Demands Answers Over Where US Taxpayer Dollars Are Going In Ukraine)
“Earlier this week, the White House released a letter indicating that the Department of Defense will run out of resources to procure weapons and equipment for Ukraine by the end of the year. This letter expresses, with urgency, the Biden Administration’s request for $106 billion in new funds for military, humanitarian, and general foreign aid to Ukraine. In light of this request, Americans must know how your agency is spending their hard-earned tax dollars in support of Ukrainian businesses. It is unreasonable to expect Congress to act on a request of this magnitude without a complete understanding of where prior taxpayer-funded assistance has gone,” she added.
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Before sending the letter, Ernst told the Caller that Ukraine’s focus should be on weapons and not welfare.
“Taxpayers deserve to know where their hard-earned dollars are being spent. The focus for Ukraine should be on weapons, not welfare, and that’s why I’m demanding answers and accountability from Biden’s USAID,” Ernst told the Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Introduce Legislation To Prevent Ukraine From Stealing US Taxpayer Dollars)
Ernst is calling on Biden to deliver her answers and information no later than Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.