OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

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Floor Speech

Date: July 19, 2023
Location: Washington, DC


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Mr. VANCE. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 838 and ask that it be reported by number.

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Mr. VANCE. Mr. President, I propose amendment No. 838 for the very simple reason that, as we spend resources to support the Ukrainian war effort against the Russians, we need to be honest with ourselves and honest with the American people about exactly what we are spending and how much we are spending.

We saw recently, in a $6 billion Department of Defense accounting error, which fails to give the American people and fails--and what our amendment does is simple. It forces the Department of Defense to use an accurate accounting method. If we ask ourselves, when the President uses his drawdown authority to send weapons systems to Ukraine, how do we account for it? Do we account for it based on an old cost with depreciation or do we account for it on its cost to the American taxpayer?

I think it is very clear that the cost to the American taxpayer is the one that we should use, and I also think this allows us to more adequately count and account for the resources we are giving to Ukraine and other nations as well.

Mr. President, I ask to reserve the remainder of my time.

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Mr. VANCE. Mr. President, I ask to be recognized.

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Mr. VANCE. Mr. President, I will be brief here. First of all, the Department of Defense clarified that it has not used the proper accounting methods in Ukraine. So I don't think this is a change to a longstanding policy. I think that it reinforces proper accounting methods within the Department of Defense.

The more important point here is that a $6 billion accounting error is approximately the amount of aid that the United Kingdom has provided to Ukraine. If we are not using an accounting method that allows us to properly account for this stuff, we are missing gaping numbers. We can't possibly have a reasonable cost-benefit debate if we don't know the cost of the resources and the weapons we are sending to Ukraine.

We just need to be honest with ourselves and with the American people. That is all this amendment does. And I ask that it be called up for a vote.

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