Staff Reports
Over the past two years, the Pentagon has been miscalculating the cost of weapons sent to Ukraine. It has now revealed that the total amount of money that was overcharged was $6.2 billion. This miscalculation was caused by the overvaluing of military equipment and the book value of the weapons.
This new revelation significantly exceeds the Pentagon's previous statement, which had claimed that the error was only around $3 billion. A spokesperson for the Pentagon noted that this mistake would not affect the amount of assistance that the US would provide to Ukraine. It also pushes the actual amount of assistance to the country down to around $34 billion, which is less than the $40 billion that was initially estimated.
The US has provided Ukraine with four aid packages. The most recent one, which was approved by Congress in December, was worth $45 billion. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness of the financial controls that were implemented.
In response, Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that the overcharged money could have been used to provide additional weapons and supplies for the upcoming counter-offensive.
BREAKING: 'Accounting error' provides extra $6.2 BILLION for Ukraine, Pentagon says pic.twitter.com/75022IXg9k
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 20, 2023
The revelation of the overcharged money is expected to reduce the chances of Congress passing another aid package for Ukraine. Although the White House has already indicated that it would not seek another aid package before the end of the year, some members of Congress are still concerned about the country's financial situation. This issue shows that there is a need for more vigilance in preventing potential waste, fraud, and abuse in the programs.
Source: Red State
