House Democrats urged President Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lift the foreign assistance freeze mandated by an executive order from earlier this week, cutting off most U.S-funded foreign development projects around the world. The Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the ranking … [Read more…]
Can USG implementers push back against the looming stop work orders or terminations?
The Trump administration is imposing a 90-day suspension on foreign aid projects, with a few exceptions for countries like Israel and Egypt. Many USG implementers have already started receiving stop work orders, and more could be facing termination notices if their projects don’t align with the administration’s agenda. It’s important to remember that these projects … [Read more…]
Trump Reinstates the Mexico Policy: The Longstanding Anti-Abortion Policy
Trump on Friday signed an executive order reinstating the policy. The president on Friday issued an executive order revoking former President Joe Biden’s 2021 directive that had axed the decades-old policy. The policy forbids using taxpayer dollars to fund nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. HERE IS THE FULL EXECUTIVE ORDER … [Read more…]
NOTE FROM USAID: Notice on Implementation of Executive Order: DEIA Activities Under Existing USAID Awards
Notice on Implementation of Executive Order Dear USAID Contracting and Agreement Officers and Implementing Partners, USAID is taking prompt action to comply with the President’s Executive Order on Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, the rescission of Executive Order 14035 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, and additional direction … [Read more…]
GSA Contractors – Contractor Notice re Implementation of Executive Order
On January 22, 2025, GSA’s Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian issued the attached memorandum to contractors regarding intent to suspend enforcement of contractual DEI terms in existing agreements. The full text of the memorandum is below. Contractor Notice re Implementation of Executive Order
Trump Administration to Impose False Claims Act Liability on Contractors and Grant Recipients Who Continue to Maintain DEI and Other Affirmative Action Programs
On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued a widely expected executive order (EO), Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, targeting affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government. The EO revokes multiple labor-related executive orders promoting affirmative action and other DEI policies, including EO 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity (September … [Read more…]
What’s the Deal if an Entity Ends Up on the 1260H List?
On January 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) refreshed its 1260H List, which names the entities classified as “Chinese military companies” (CMC) operating within the United States. This update is in line with section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. The revised list now features 76 … [Read more…]
Looking into Project 2025: USAID
Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise is 922 pages of governing proposals from the Heritage Foundation, with ideas for multiple departments. From the recent executive orders it seems like parts of Project 2025 are already or in the process of being implemented. They have a 30 page section on the US Agency for … [Read more…]
QED now Q2Impact goes to court over its OASIS+ bid rejection
Q2 Impact is not giving up on its fight for a chance to compete for a spot on the OASIS+ vehicle after the General Services Administration (GAO) rejected the company’s bid. See decision here. GSA based its decision on how Q2 is using banned communications equipment for a U.S. Agency for International Development contract. The company … [Read more…]
Fixing Impact: How Fixed Prices Can Scale Results-Based Procurement at USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) currently uses Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) as its de facto default funding and contracting model. Unfortunately, this model prioritizes administrative compliance over performance, hindering USAID’s development goals and U.S. efforts to counter renewed Great Power competition with Russia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and other competitors. The U.S. … [Read more…]