Hawley Calls For New Inspector General To Investigate Ukraine Spending

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pledged to introduce legislation to track U.S. dollars designated for Ukraine in its war against Russia, after citing the possibility of corrupt spending under the Biden administration.

“It’s time for a special inspector general dedicated to auditing EVERY PENNY spent on Ukraine,” Hawley, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. 

An hour later, the Missouri Republican promised to act on his proposal.

“I will again introduce on the floor of the Senate legislation to create a watchdog whose *sole responsibility* is auditing every dollar spent on Ukraine - and reporting back to the American people,” he wrote.

In previous remarks, Hawley suggested a probe of the federal government’s financial support of the Eastern European nation could uncover frivolous spending.

“You know, what else needs to happen is, we need an accounting of every single tax dollar that's been spent over there. Because remember, right now we have zero because Congress never would vote for an audit of the money and the White House, the Biden White House never would do one,” Hawley said during an appearance on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” last week.

“We need to know exactly how this money has been spent all these years. And if you think [the U.S. Agency for International Development] is a corrupt thing, just wait till we see how our money has been spent," he continued at the time. "We need to know it. And I'm glad the president is going to bring this to a close."

The comment comes as President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency have seemingly launched efforts to dismantle USAID, attempting to put thousands on federal leave and naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting leader.

The move has sparked backlash, as did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments last week, when he effectively ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance. The Pentagon leader later walked back the claim, clarifying the president would oversee negotiations where “everything is on the table.”

On Tuesday, Rubio and other Trump officials met with key Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to the war and revitalizing the relationship between Washington and Moscow — raising concerns across Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials from Kyiv were notably not in attendance and have denounced any moves without their cooperation.

Nearly three years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine and started the war. Trump promised to end the conflict while on the campaign trail and has outlined a six-month timeline for peace after returning to the Oval Office.

Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon in Saudi Arabia.