Dear Senators and Representatives,
On behalf of the millions of Americans represented by our faith, humanitarian, health, education, foreign policy, development, human rights, business, labor, peace, women’s advocacy, science, and environmental organizations, we strongly urge you to oppose efforts to shut down U.S. foreign assistance including the critical work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). These actions have included arbitrarily freezing congressionally-authorized program funding, unnecessarily halting on-going programs, firing employees or locking them out of government systems, and spreading harmful disinformation about its work. Taken together, these actions not only undermine life-saving development and humanitarian assistance, they also directly harm U.S. national security and its standing in the world.
Funding for U.S. development and diplomacy programs has long enjoyed wide bipartisan support and we urge you to continue that tradition of American leadership.
The relatively small investments from USAID — less than 1% of the federal budget — pay significant dividends for Americans. Not only does this support prevent the conflicts and health emergencies of today from becoming the regional crises and pandemics of tomorrow, but they also protect people’s lives and livelihoods so they are not forcibly displaced from their communities. The value of the return on these investments cannot be overstated.
USAID investments save lives. For example, USAID is a key implementer of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which alone has saved more than 25 million lives since its creation in 2003. Early childhood vaccination programs for diseases like polio and measles not only save children’s lives in other countries, but they also stop these deadly diseases from spreading globally. The Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) and SERVIR are other examples of USAID-funded, low-cost scientific data and tracking systems that help save lives, avert hunger, and enhance economic and environmental resilience. Other USAID efforts benefit the United States in myriad ways, including protecting Americans from global challenges that cross national boundaries and fostering new market opportunities for American businesses. For example, USAID purchased $2 billion in food from U.S. farmers last year alone.
We urge you to assert Congress’s constitutional authority and duty to conduct oversight of funding, personnel, and the nation’s foreign policy and to protect the vital work of USAID and other foreign assistance agencies, including programs that Congress has authorized and that government agencies must have capacity to deliver. Congress should also exercise its legal authority to carefully lead and review any proposed reorganization of foreign assistance agencies. The actions taken in the last two weeks have had immediate, real-life impacts from frozen programs, resulted in significant job losses and spread confusion and fear. Rather than reviewing assistance to improve efficiency and accountability, the result has been increased suffering and a greater risk of destabilizing outcomes globally that will ultimately cost the nation even more. Congress must maintain its responsibility, as the American people’s elected representatives, to ensure it has the power to decide how taxpayer money is spent.
