Fact Check: Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal didn't spend $800K on hotels during Kyiv visit. We crunched the numbers

Yahoo

6 days ago

Claim:
U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal spent more than $800,000 of taxpayer money on hotel accommodations during a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, in May 2025.
Rating:
On June 1, 2025, X user @Alladdin1983 claimed that U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal had racked up more than $800,000 in taxpayer-funded hotel expenses during their visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 30. The post read:
SHOCKING EXCLUSIVE: Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal's Lavish Kyiv Hotel Bills EXPOSED! While Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal strut through Kyiv, Ukraine, jaw-dropping State Department records have just dropped on USA Spending, revealing their extravagant hotel expenses. On June 1, 2025, two staggering transactions surfaced: one for a mind-blowing $403,172 and another for an eye-popping $411,634. The question on everyone's mind—what justifies this astronomical spending any why this much?
(X user @Alladdin1983)
The post quickly gained popularity, gaining over 3.9 million views, 16,000 reposts and 3,000 comments. It was widely interpreted as evidence that the senators had spent $814,806, a total that combined one contract worth $403,172 and another worth $411,634.
However, that interpretation was incorrect. The claim is false.
The claim conflated real government contracts with unrelated diplomatic expenses, and available records show no connection between the senators' trip and the cited spending.
The $814,806 total came from two contracts issued by the State Department to International-Business Center TOV, a foreign-owned business located at the address of the Hilton Kyiv. Both contracts listed a performance period of June 1-30, 2025, but the senators were in Kyiv on May 30, according to a news release from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On June 3, tech entrepreneur and former Department of Government Efficiency figurehead Elon Musk reposted the claim on X with these comments: "Why is the hotel bill so high? The room service must be incredible!"
Within hours, Graham responded directly (archived) to the original claim on X, stating:
Fake news. More BS.
I'm all-in trying to help President @realDonaldTrump end this war — and making sure Putin doesn't win.
This isn't a travel expense report. It's a monthly contract between the State Department for U.S. diplomats in a war zone — nothing to do with my trip.
Graham's statement was consistent with the facts. The contracts were issued as delivery orders under a parent agreement listed on USAspending.gov, the government's open data source of federal spending information, as an Indefinite Delivery Contract — a flexible procurement format used for recurring needs such as diplomatic lodging and mission support, not one-off travel.
The size of the contracts also contradicted the viral claim. At a government per diem rate of about $319 per night in Kyiv, $814,806 would cover over 2,700 room-nights, or accommodations for roughly 90 people for a month. That far exceeds what would be required for a short official visit.
A Snopes analysis of State Department hotel contract data from January through June 2025 found that monthly spending in Kyiv ranged from approximately $685,949 to $784,104. The June figure of $814,806 was slightly above average but consistent with recurring operations.
(Snopes)
Although the contracts are real, there is no evidence connecting them to the two senators. The claim spread widely following Musk's repost, but it misrepresented the nature, timing and purpose of the government spending.
Snopes has reached out to the offices of both Graham and Blumenthal asking for clarification on how much their trip to Kyiv cost in total, including hotel expenses. We have also reached out to the X user who initially posted the claim. We will update this story if we receive responses.
USAspending.gov. "Award ID CONT_AWD_19GE5025F0306_1900_19GE5025D0052_1900." U.S. Department of the Treasury, https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_19GE5025F0306_1900_19GE5025D0052_1900. Accessed 4 June 2025.
USAspending.gov. "Award ID CONT_AWD_19GE5025F0302_1900_19GE5025D0052_1900." U.S. Department of the Treasury, https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_19GE5025F0302_1900_19GE5025D0052_1900. Accessed 4 June 2025.
President of Ukraine. "President Held a Meeting with U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal." President.gov.ua, 30 May 2025, https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-proviv-zustrich-z-amerikanskimi-senatorami-lindsi-98165. Accessed 4 June 2025.
U.S. General Services Administration. "Federal Acquisition Regulation: Subpart 16.5—Indefinite-Delivery Contracts." Acquisition.gov, https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-16#FAR_Subpart_16_5. Accessed 4 June 2025.