On Thursday, February 11, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives sent a letter to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan demanding total figures for the amount of US aid allocated to Ukraine. The letter was signed by Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes, as well as Members Jim Jordan and Michael McCaul.
The letter states that, though the White House has disclosed to the public the annual breakdown of aid allocated to Ukraine, the total allocation across the last five fiscal years has been withheld. The Republicans are calling for the total amount of money sent to Ukraine during those five years – including aid from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and military assistance from the Pentagon – to be released.
The Republicans stress that the total amount of aid sent to Ukraine should be fully transparent, given that the Trump Administration’s withholding of the aid in 2018 was at the center of the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
The letter accuses the Trump Administration of mishandling released aid to Ukraine and claims any further reluctance to release full records of the aid may be a sign of wrongdoing. They suggest that releasing the figure of total aid sent across the past five years would show whether the Ukraine aid process was properly managed.
This is not the first time the House Republicans have demanded these full figures from the White House. Recalling a letter written in November 2019, they remind Sullivan that, if other evidence presented during the impeachment inquiry is to be taken at face value, then it is clear that these figures are needed.
The letter also includes a list of specific questions regarding both the traditional and security aid figures which the House Republicans want answered from Sullivan. These questions include specific amounts sent from USAID and the Pentagon over the five year period, as well as explanations for any discrepancies which may exist in the figures.
Republican leadership’s demand for total aid figures shows the ongoing tension between the White House and the House of Representatives when it comes to shedding light on the secretive handling of US aid to Ukraine. It remains to be seen what answer Jake Sullivan will provide to these demands.