Chairman Bera, Ranking Member Chabot, and Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me to testify on the vital role of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Indo-Pacific in defending and promoting democratic norms and institutions—which President Biden holds as central to U.S. foreign policy. It is an honor to testify before this Subcommittee, and a pleasure to be here alongside my colleagues from the U.S. Department of State, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Busby, Acting Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson, and Senior Advisor Francisco Bencosme.
The United States Government’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance conveys President Biden’s vision for how America will engage with the world. Front and center to this engagement is working with like-minded allies and partners to defend and promote democratic norms and institutions—to combat threats to free societies, and to lead and sustain a stable and open international system.
U.S. leadership will help to overcome this pandemic, but we cannot do it alone. Our partners are essential to our success. USAID is working closely with other agencies within the U.S. government, the global community, including the World Health Organization, our partner countries, non-governmental organizations, other donors, and the private sector. We are urging other countries to provide more funding for global COVID-19 response efforts and to advance information sharing, transparency, and accountability across these efforts.
It is not enough to only end the COVID-19 pandemic. USAID is committed to building back a better world, one that is better prepared to prevent, detect, and respond to future biological threats, and where all people can live safe, prosperous, and healthy lives.
Thank you, Chairwoman Lee, Ranking Member Rogers, Chairwoman DeLauro, and members of the Subcommittee. Let me start by expressing my deep gratitude for the continued bipartisan support for the work we do at USAID. This support for development and humanitarian assistance has saved and improved millions of lives and it is critically important in advancing U.S. interests around the world.
Humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing life-saving assistance, and the ongoing challenges that impact our response efforts.
Thank you Chairman Coons, Ranking Member Graham, Chairman Leahy and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 President’s discretionary request for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Our investments in development and humanitarian assistance have grown even more necessary in light of today’s challenges. A persistent pandemic has left 3.5 million dead, at least, and swelled the ranks of the extreme poor for the first time since the late 1990s. It has also exposed the pervasive inequities that continue to fray societies across the globe. Authoritarian regimes like China and Russia are acting more aggressively each year, exploiting not only the COVID-19 emergency, but vulnerabilities in our democracies. A rapidly changing climate is sending fiercer storms our way and inflicting droughts, deep freezes, and wildfires upon communities. Mass displacement is at its highest since World War II. Every day in fact, and Senator Coons, I’m assuming you have this experience as well but when you read the news, it seems as though a new horrific crisis has emerged, such as that in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where Ethiopians are facing the worst food insecurity the country has seen since the 1983-84 famine killed over 1 million people. And of course, against this backdrop, China is increasingly using its financial power as leverage to advance its interests.
Chairwoman Lee, Ranking Member Rogers, Distinguished Members of this Subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the important role the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) plays in mobilizing climate finance and addressing the climate crisis. It is an honor to be here with you today. USAID is grateful for the ongoing collaboration with this Subcommittee as we work to align our efforts on climate change with the scope and complexity of the challenge.
I want to make it clear to the Committee, to our Afghan partners, international donors, and the American people that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will continue to support the Afghan people. The troop withdrawal announcement has not changed USAID’s objectives to support the dignity of the Afghan people. Our development assistance accelerates inclusive economic growth, advances social gains in health, education, and gender equality (especially for Afghan women), fights corruption, enhances conflict resolution mechanisms, bolsters civil society and independent media, and increases the Government of Afghanistan’s (GOA) accountability to its citizens. USAID provides humanitarian assistance for those most in need, including women, girls, and displaced populations.
Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to speak with you today about the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) international COVID-19 response.
Introduction
Chairman Connolly, Ranking Member Hice, members of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, thank you for inviting me to testify today. I am grateful for the Committee’s support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in information technology reform, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss our progress in complying with the standards set out in the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA).
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
At the direction of President Biden and in support of his February 2nd Executive Order on migration, USAID is aggressively ramping up programs to address the economic, security, and governance challenges that drive irregular migration from Central America to the United States so that individuals are not forced to make the dangerous journey north.
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Last updated: June 11, 2021
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