U.S. tech continues to power Russian weapons despite export controls, Senate Democrats find
A report from Senate Democrats says a key national security office remains critically underfunded, resulting in U.S-made technology continuing to fall into Russian hands as it conducts its illegal war in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON — U.S.-made technology continues to fall into Russian hands in Ukraine as a key national security office remains critically underfunded, according to a report from Senate Democrats released Wednesday.
The report, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., comes just as officials in the incoming Trump administration call for massive cuts to government spending. While their arguments have focused on cutting government waste, the new report highlights how existing capacity shortfalls in key government agencies are already undermining U.S. interests.
In the 30-page report, Democratic staff on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations say the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)’s enforcement of export controls “is a shadow of what it should be, and inadequate at every level.”
The agency, it said, is asked to fulfill a key national security function “on a shoestring budget” using “laughable technology that has not been meaningfully updated for nearly two decades” despite more modern alternatives in use not only in the private sector but also at other government agencies.
The end result: U.S. microchips and other equipment continue to be found in Russian missiles, armored vehicles and drones.
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