Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Zeldin, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, for inviting me to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020budget requests from the United States Agency for International Development for Operating Expenses (OE) and the Capital Investment Fund (CIF).
Since joining USAID in April this year, I have been impressed by the life- changing work of the Agency to uplift some of the world’s most-vulnerable people. Administrator Green has given the Agency a vision that harnesses USAID’s inherent mission and values to assist governments, civil society, and the private sector in our partner countries on their Journey to Self-Reliance.
The Bureau for Management oversees the core operational platform and the OE account for USAID to help us advance and support innovative development solutions to improve lives around the world. The account enables the Agency to find sustainable solutions to humanitarian assistance crises to build resilience so emergency aid is not perpetually needed. To ensure that our delivery of foreign assistance matches the goals of the President’s National Security Strategy, is as effective as possible and leverages the most value of every committed American dollar, USAID is working to achieve the Administrator’s goals to leverage efficiencies in the Agency’s operations.
USAID’s staff – our colleagues and friends – builds self-reliance in partner countries, projects American values globally, and advances our foreign-policy and national-security priorities.
USAID is outraged about the brutal crackdown by Sudan’s security forces on unarmed civilians who for months bravely gathered peacefully in the streets of Khartoum and other Sudanese cities and towns, seeking to establish a representative and inclusive government after 30 years of oppression, division, and corruption under Omar al-Bashir. After decades of unwavering partnership between USAID and the people of Sudan, we are also gravely concerned that this non-violent, well-organized, and massive effort by the Sudanese people to demand a democratic and representative government has been met with violence. We appreciate the decisive action of the African Union to suspend Sudan’s membership, and its strong message on the need to transition quickly to a civilian-led government.
USAID’s development and humanitarian assistance is key to achieving prosperity and stability for our partner countries, as well as the United States. The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget request for USAID’s development assistance in South Asia is $332.3 million, which represents a 73 percent increase over FY 2019’s request. This request supports USAID’s programs in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
The President’s FY 2020 Budget Request for assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan reflects our nation’s efforts to advance our national security interests and increase regional stability. These budget levels continue a downward trend as our assistance portfolios mature towards more sustainable levels. Although the FY 2020 request is reduced in comparison to FY 2018, both Missions will continue to implement a significant suite of assistance programs.
Last month, I traveled to eastern DRC and saw the scale of this outbreak and the response firsthand. I have traveled extensively in my career, from my three decades with the U.S. Navy and in the roles I’ve held since. This trip to the DRC was one of the most important trips I have ever taken. I heard directly from local traditional and religious leaders, as well as our partners, about the challenges communities and response actors are facing. There continues to be ongoing violence and community distrust towards the response driven by years of political and humanitarian failures in the region. The U.S. Government has been working closely with the Government of the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international partners to control the spread of disease since the outbreak began, and we’re taking the concerns of our partners into account as we adapt our response. Bringing an end to this devastating outbreak is a top priority for the U.S. Government, because we are committed to reducing the suffering of those affected by Ebola, and because effective efforts to contain and end the outbreak can prevent it from reaching the broader region, as well as our borders.
Today, we’ve come together, along with colleagues from the State Department, and Department of Defense, to discuss joint efforts to promote democracy, sustainable development, and regional stability in sub-Saharan Africa. As USAID Administrator Mark Green always says - the goal of foreign assistance should be to end the need for its existence. USAID supports the President’s Africa Strategy, and we will not continue with “business as usual.” Instead, our foreign assistance will help our friends on the continent achieve sustained economic growth and self-reliance to combat transnational threats. I know that I cannot touch upon our work in each country given time limitations, so I will focus on some of the themes and situations at the forefront of our attention.
The FY 2020 request for USAID fully and partially managed accounts is approximately $19.2 billion, an increase of $2.4 billion, or 14 percent, over last year’s request. It requests $6.3 billion for global health and $5.2 billion for the Economic Support and Development Fund. In terms of USAID’s humanitarian assistance, it requests $6 billion for the new International Humanitarian Assistance Account, which, combined with all available resources, will allow us to maintain the highest level ever of U.S. humanitarian assistance programming
USAID remains focused on our core day-to-day work: helping support the world’s most-vulnerable populations affected by humanitarian crises; promoting human rights, democracy, and citizen-responsive governance; and improving development outcomes in the areas of economic growth, education, environment, and health worldwide. Every day, our highly professional and dedicated staff work diligently to deliver sustainable development solutions and build self-reliance in partner countries, project American values globally, and advance our foreign-policy and national-security objectives.
USAID remains focused on our core day-to-day work: helping support the world’s most-vulnerable populations affected by humanitarian crises; promoting human rights, democracy, and citizen-responsive governance; and improving development outcomes in the areas of economic growth, education, environment, and health worldwide. Every day, our highly professional and dedicated staff work diligently to deliver sustainable development solutions and build self-reliance in partner countries, project American values globally, and advance our foreign-policy and national-security objectives. I know that I cannot touch upon our work in each country in the limited time afforded me today, so allow me to discuss some of the themes and situations at the forefront of our attention.
Since August 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been facing what is now an unprecedented Ebola outbreak in the country. As of March 6, health officials have recorded 907 confirmed and probable cases, including 569 deaths as a result of the outbreak that continues to spread in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the eastern part of the country. It is now the second largest recorded outbreak of the disease, eclipsed only by the 2014 West Africa outbreak that resulted in nearly 29,000 cases and killed more than 11,000 people. I know you are interested in the recent attacks on health facilities in areas affected by the outbreak. While I will touch on this later, I want to start by saying that our hearts go out to the people affected by these tragedies. We are tracking the effects of these incidents.
Since the outbreak began, the U.S. Government has been working closely with the Government of the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international partners to contain the spread of disease. Bringing an end to this devastating outbreak is a priority for the U.S. Government, not only because we are committed to supporting those affected, but also because effective efforts to contain and end the outbreak can prevent it from reaching the broader region, as well as our borders. This latest outbreak also highlights the importance of the U.S. Government’s continued investments in global health security.
We all realize that humanitarian assistance, no matter how badly it is needed, is treatment, not a cure. It cannot address the root cause of the problem. So long as Maduro and his cronies continue to crush the people of Venezuela, their economy, and their hope, this crisis will worsen. As in Cuba, Nicaragua, and other places where people are suffering under authoritarianism, we know the answer to Venezuela’s problem is human liberty and democracy, which remain the highest and best hope for people everywhere.
Venezuelans deserve a return to democracy, rule of law, and citizen-responsive governance. Despite the current turmoil, I am optimistic that a brighter day is ahead. The doomsayers talk as though freedom is in irreversible decline, but the only way freedom and democracy will fall away is if we let them. Interim President Guaidó, and the other Venezuelans I have spoken with during my travels throughout the region, are determined not to let that happen, and we are proud to stand with them in their struggle.
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Last updated: July 17, 2019
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