[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MARKUP OF: H. RES. 158
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
March 24, 2023
__________
Serial No. 118-7
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http://
docs.house.gov,
or http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
51-555PDF WASHINGTON : 2024
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey GREGORY MEEKS, New York, Ranking
JOE WILSON, South Carolina Member
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania BRAD SHERMAN, California
DARRELL ISSA, California GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
ANN WAGNER, Missouri WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
BRIAN MAST, Florida DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
KEN BUCK, Colorado AMI BERA, California
TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
MARK E. GREEN, Tennessee DINA TITUS, Nevada
ANDY BARR, Kentucky TED LIEU, California
RONNY JACKSON, Texas SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
YOUNG KIM, California DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida COLIN ALLRED, Texas
BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan ANDY KIM, New Jersey
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, SARA JACOBS, California
American Samoa KATHY MANNING, North Carolina
FRENCH HILL, Arkansas SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK,
WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio Florida
JIM BAIRD, Indiana GREG STANTON, Arizona
MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida MADELEINE DEAN, Pennsylvania
THOMAS KEAN, JR., New Jersey JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida
MICHAEL LAWLER, New York JONATHAN JACKSON, Illinois
CORY MILLS, Florida SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California
RICH McCORMICK, Georgia JIM COSTA, California
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas JASON CROW, Colorado
JOHN JAMES, Michigan BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois
KEITH SELF, Texas
Brendan Shields, Staff Director
Sophia Lafargue, Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
BILL
H. RES. 158...................................................... 2
APPENDIX
Hearing Notice................................................... 11
Hearing Minutes.................................................. 12
Hearing Attendance............................................... 13
VOTES
Votes............................................................ 14
MARKUP SUMMARY
Markup summary................................................... 15
MARKUP OF: H. RES. 158, RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY
REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AND SECRETARY OF STATE
TO TRANSMIT, RESPECTIVELY, CERTAIN DOCUMENTS
TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RELATING TO
CONGRESSIONALLY APPROPRIATED FUNDS TO THE
NATION OF UKRAINE FROM JANUARY 20, 2021 TO
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Friday, March 24, 2023
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:18 a.m., in
room 210, House Visitor Center, Hon. Michael McCaul (chairman
of the committee) presiding.
Chairman McCaul. A quorum being present, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs will come to order. The committee is meeting
today for consideration of H. Res. 158, a resolution of inquiry
requesting the President and directing the Secretary of State
to transmit. Pursuant to House rules, I request that members
have the opportunity to submit views for a committee report
that may be produced on today's measure. Without objection, so
ordered.
The chair announces today that any requests for recorded
votes may be rolled, and he may recess the committee at any
point without objection, so ordered.
Pursuant to notice, I now call up H. Res. 158, a resolution
of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary
of State to transmit, respectfully, certain documents to the
House of Representatives relating to congressionally
appropriated funds to the Nation of Ukraine from January 20th,
2021 to February 24th, 2023. The measure was circulated in
advance. The Clerk shall designate the resolution.
[The Bill H. Res. 158 follows:]
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The Clerk. H. Res. 158 of inquiry requesting the President
and directing the Secretary of State----
Chairman McCaul. Without objection, the first reading is
dispensed with. The resolution is considered read and open to
amendment at any point.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement. One year,
1 month ago today, Putin launched his full scale, unprovoked
war of aggression in Ukraine. To date, at least eight thousand
civilians have been killed, 65,000 war crimes have been
reported including the abduction of 14,000 Ukrainian children.
These numbers do not include the staggering loss of life on the
battlefield.
In response, Congress has provided a significant amount of
assistance to Ukraine to ensure Putin's aggression is stopped
at Ukraine's border, and to ensure NATO countries are not next.
I have supported this assistance because a victory by Putin in
Ukraine would further embolden America's adversaries from
Chairman Xi in Beijing to the Ayatollah in Tehran to Kim Jong-
un in North Korea.
As the chairman of this committee, it is also my
constitutionally guaranteed responsibility to pursue stringent
oversight of the Department of State and USAID. Every dollar
counts and the Biden Administration should expect this
committee to be vigilant in demanding transparency and
accountability for U.S. assistance to Ukraine. In fact, this
committee has already in the process of conducting vigorous
oversight of the assistance provided to Ukraine by the
Department of State.
Our first committee event of this Congress was a request by
briefing on oversight of assistance to Ukraine. Also, I led a
congressional delegation to Kyiv last month to get a first-hand
perspective of the safeguards and monitoring mechanisms in
place for U.S. support.
Next week, I am holding a public hearing with the
Inspectors General from DoD, State, and USAID to assess the
Administration's oversight efforts to date. This will be the
first time any of them have appeared before this committee
since the full-scale invasion. But I can assure you it will not
be our last engagement with them on this issue.
It is unfortunate that some misunderstand strong oversight
that is somehow at odds with strong U.S. support for Ukraine's
self-defense against Putin's brutal, illegal invasion. This
oversight is vital for continued U.S. support and for ensuring
such support is effective in protecting American security
interest abroad.
This resolution of inquiry requests the Administration to
transmit relevant documents related to congressionally
appropriated funds for Ukraine. It is important Congress
continue to closely examine the Biden Administration's failure
of deterrence leading up to Russia's February 24th, 2022
invasion. This will ensure that in the future such brutal wars
of aggression can be deterred by American strength and not
encouraged by American weakness.
The American taxpayer deserves to know how this money is
being spent and I am committed to exercising intense
congressional oversight on all of our assistance to Ukraine. So
I support this resolution as it is consistent with my oversight
agenda of the U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
Is there any discussion on the resolution? The Ranking
Member, Mr. Meeks, is recognized.
Mr. Meeks. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I oppose resolution H.
Res. 158 as we consider this measure today. I have got to tell
you I cannot help but feel frustrated that here we are again.
We considered this exact same measure in the last Congress. It
was at that time divisive and ill-advised, and it remains so
today.
And so my message will remain as it was in the 117th
Congress.
From day one, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and long
before this committee and the entire Congress has remained
resolutely bipartisan in our support for Ukraine as it fights
against Russian aggression. This bipartisanship has been
pivotal to Ukraine's success and its survival. But measures
like this one put the bipartisanship in jeopardy and send
absolutely the wrong message.
As we consider this resolution for the second time, my
Republican colleagues will try to gloss over what this really
means. They will claim that his measure is just about
oversight. It is not. They may claim that it says nothing
negative about the future of our support for Ukraine, but
sadly, it does.
Despite what my GOP colleagues may claim today, this
resolution is not about transparency or strengthening
accounting of our support for Ukraine which we all agree is
important. This resolution is about division. Reporting it out
favorably is not responsible oversight, and in fact, ignores
the unprecedented amount of oversight this very committee is
conducting on a regular basis. This includes the dozens of
hours of briefings and extensive documentation the
Administration is providing to us all. This political measure
is unnecessarily divisive and plays directly into Vladimir
Putin's hands and we should reject it loudly and in a
bipartisan manner.
Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the aid we are
providing, the Administration is fulfilling its duty to spend
every U.S. taxpayer dollar in a transparent and accountable way
to keep Congress informed at each and every step. Since
February 2022, the Administration has engaged with members and
staff on no less than 60, that is 6-0 occasions. Our diplomats
working in a war zone in Kyiv have gone through painstakingly
lists to track, to monitor, and evaluate U.S. assistance,
including by implementing the Administration's October 2022
strategy to account for all U.S. security assistance and to
bolster the capability of Ukraine and our allies and partners
in the region to counter illicit diversion.
Furthermore, the Administration has provided extensive
information to the committee on the security assistance and
weapons provided to Ukraine and methods by which such equipment
is tracked and accounted for on a regular basis. And I am sure
the chairman, as when I visited Kyiv and President Zelenskyy in
the 117th Congress, found that that President Zelenskyy wants
to make sure that there is accountability of every weapon and
every dollar and he says that consistently. And that is why he
is present. He approves and thanks us at every opportunity for
that assistance because he does not want anything that is
missing and unaccounted for.
Meanwhile also, the Administration is cooperating fully and
openly with a task force of three inspector generals from
State, DoD, USAID, whose work can amplify and evaluate these
efforts. At every turn, the departments, agencies, and OIGs,
have kept this committee and this Congress more broadly and
appropriately briefed and informed. This was true in the 117th
Congress and it remains true in the 118th Congress.
So I ask my colleagues what message does supporting this
measure, knowing the extreme rhetoric that sponsors have used
to discuss American assistance to Ukraine, send to the
Ukrainian people and to Vladimir Putin? Support for this
resolution ignores the painstaking efforts of the American and
Ukrainian Government and instead parrots the propaganda of the
Kremlin.
So I want to be clear on one thing though. I support robust
oversight of our assistance to Ukraine and I look forward to
continuing to work with the Administration and my colleagues on
the other side of the aisle and the chairman to keep the
safeguards on our assistance strong.
Going forward, I urge my Republican colleagues now in the
majority to embrace responsible oversight and reject partisan
politics that send out one message that we on this Committee on
Foreign Affairs support Ukraine and will take meaningful steps
to ensure our assistance is used properly, effectively, and
remain committed to giving them the resources they need to win
and to thrive when this war is over.
So with that, I oppose this measure and just say let's stop
the political stunts and let's move forward in a bipartisan way
in support of Ukraine against Vladimir Putin. And I yield back.
Chairman McCaul. The gentleman yields. Any further
discussion on the resolution?
There being no further discussion of the resolution, the
committee will move to consideration of amendments. Does any
member wish to offer an amendment?
There being no amendments, I move that the committee report
House Resolution 158 to the House with a favorable
recommendation.
All those in favor say aye?
All those opposed signify by saying no.
It is the opinion of the chair, even though the ranking
member was very loud, I would say that the ayes have it and the
motion is agreed to.
Mr. Meeks. On that I ask for a recorded vote.
Chairman McCaul. A roll call vote has been requested.
Pursuant to the chair's previous announcement, this vote will
be postponed.
The committee will--Mr. Cicilline is recognized.
Mr. Cicilline. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that
my very eloquent statement be introduced into the record,
pursuant to our agreement.
Chairman McCaul. Mr. Perry, do you object?
Mr. Cicilline. Pursuant to our agreement.
Chairman McCaul. Without objection, so ordered. The
committee will recess for about 10 minutes. The Clerk will send
out notice of when we will reconvene.
[Recess.]
Chairman McCaul. The committee will come to order. The
committee postponed further proceedings on reporting House
Resolution 158 favorably to the House on which the ayes
prevailed by voice vote. The question now occurs on reporting
the measure favorably.
The Clerk will call the roll and we want to thank our
financial services members for finally showing up. The Clerk
will call the roll.
Mr. Huizenga. Mr. Chairman, a point of information. It is
difficult saving the economy and saving the world, so we are
working on it on both committees. We are working on it.
Mr. Burchett. We want to thank the sergeant-at-arms for
making the door big enough to get their fat heads through that.
Thank you. And that is for the record.
Chairman McCaul. All right, all right.
Mr. Burchett. That's Burchett with two Ts to all my friends
in the meeting.
Chairman McCaul. The gentleman will dismiss. The Clerk will
call the roll.
The Clerk. Representative Smith?
Mr. Smith. Yes.
The Clerk. Representative Smith votes aye.
Representative Wilson?
Mr. Wilson. Aye.
The Clerk. Wilson votes aye.
Representative Perry?
Mr. Perry. Aye.
The Clerk. Perry votes aye.
Representative Issa?
Mr. Issa. Aye.
The Clerk. Issa votes aye.
Representative Wagner?
Mrs. Wagner. Aye.
The Clerk. Wagner votes aye.
Representative Mast?
Mr. Mast. Aye.
The Clerk. Mast votes aye.
Representative Buck?
Buck?
[No response.]
Representative Burchett?
Mr. Burchett. Yes.
The Clerk. Burchett votes aye.
Representative Green?
Mr. Green. Aye.
The Clerk. Green votes aye.
Representative Barr?
Mr. Barr. Aye.
The Clerk. Barr votes aye.
Representative Ronny Jackson?
Mr. Jackson of Texas. Aye.
The Clerk. Jackson votes aye.
Representative Young Kim?
Mrs. Kim of California. Aye.
The Clerk. Kim votes aye.
Representative Salazar?
Ms. Salazar. Aye. Si.
The Clerk. Salazar votes aye.
Representative Huizenga?
Mr. Huizenga. Aye.
The Clerk. Huizenga votes aye.
Representative Radewagen?
Mrs. Radewagen. Aye.
The Clerk. Ragewagen votes aye.
Representative Hill?
Mr. Hill. Aye.
The Clerk. Representative Hill votes aye.
Representative Davidson?
Mr. Davidson. Aye.
The Clerk. Davidson votes aye.
Representative Baird?
Mr. Baird. Aye.
The Clerk. Baird votes aye.
Representative Waltz?
Mr. Waltz. Aye.
The Clerk. Representative Waltz votes aye.
Representative Kean?
Mr. Kean. Aye.
The Clerk. Kean votes aye.
Representative Lawler?
Mr. Lawler. Aye.
The Clerk. Lawler votes aye.
Representative Mills?
Mr. Mills. Aye.
The Clerk. Mills votes aye.
Representative McCormick?
Mr. McCormick. Aye.
The Clerk. McCormick votes aye.
Representative Moran?
Mr. Moran. Aye.
The Clerk. Moran votes aye.
Representative James?
Mr. James. Aye.
The Clerk. James votes aye.
Representative Self?
Mr. Self. Aye.
The Clerk. Self votes aye.
Ranking Member Meeks?
Mr. Meeks. No.
The Clerk. Meeks votes nay.
Representative Sherman?
Sherman?
[No response.]
Representative Connolly?
Mr. Connolly. Nay.
The Clerk. Connolly votes nay.
Representative Keating?
Mr. Keating. Nay.
The Clerk. Keating votes no.
Representative Cicilline?
Mr. Cicilline. No.
The Clerk. Cicilline votes no.
Representative Bera?
Mr. Bera. No.
The Clerk. Bera votes no.
Representative Castro?
Castro?
[No response.]
Representative Titus?
Ms. Titus. No.
The Clerk. Titus votes no.
Representative Lieu?
Mr. Lieu. No.
The Clerk. Lieu votes no.
Representative Wild?
Ms. Wild. No.
The Clerk. Wild votes no.
Representative Phillips?
Mr. Phillips. No.
The Clerk. Phillips votes no.
Representative Allred?
Mr. Allred. No.
The Clerk. Allred votes no.
Representative Andy Kim?
Mr. Kim of New Jersey. No.
The Clerk. Andy Kim votes no.
Representative Jacobs?
Ms. Jacobs. No.
The Clerk. Jacobs votes no.
Representative Manning?
Ms. Manning. No.
The Clerk. Manning votes no.
Representative Cherfilus-McCormick?
Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick. No.
The Clerk. Cherfilus-McCormick votes no.
Representative Stanton?
Mr. Stanton. No.
The Clerk. Stanton votes no.
Representative Dean?
Ms. Dean. No.
The Clerk. Dean votes no.
Representative Moskowitz?
Moskowitz?
[No response.]
Representative Jonathan Jackson?
Mr. Jackson of Illinois. No.
The Clerk. Jackson votes no.
Representative Kamlager-Dove?
Ms. Kamlager-Dove. No.
The Clerk. Kamlager-Dove votes no.
Representative Costa?
Costa?
[No response.]
Representative Crow?
Mr. Crow. No.
The Clerk. Crow votes no.
Representative Schneider?
Mr. Schneider. No.
The Clerk. Schneider votes no.
Mr. Chairman?
Chairman McCaul. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Chairman votes aye.
Chairman McCaul. Does any member wish to record or change
his vote?
The Clerk will report the tally.
The Clerk. Mr. Chairman, on this vote, the ayes are 26 and
the noes are 19.
Chairman McCaul. The ayes have it and the motion is
agreed----
The Clerk. Sorry, the noes are 20.
Chairman McCaul. Still the ayes have it and the motion is
agreed to.
This concludes consideration of the measure noticed by the
committee for today. There being no further business to
transact, the committee now stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 9:56 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
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VOTES
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MARKUP SUMMARY
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