On Thursday, February 13, 2025, the Foreign Affairs Committee held a highly publicized hearing on USAID at Capitol Hill. The event showcased a lineup of notable witnesses, including:
- Ted Yoho, Former U.S. Representative for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District
- Max Primorac, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation
- Andrew Natsios, Former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Brian Mast (R-Fla.) kicked off the hearing with multiple attempts—none successful—to play videos that depicted U.S. taxpayer dollars funding a drag show workshop for Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador. He labeled this as a blatant misuse of taxpayer money. However, it was pointed out by one panelist that this particular funding actually came from the State Department, not USAID. Mast’s remarks focused on a few controversial and highly stereotyped activities (none of which were directly executed by USAID) in a bid to justify shutting down the entire agency.
What often gets lost in these discussions is that everyday Americans are the ones truly bearing the brunt. As one representative highlighted, this situation plays right into the hands of adversaries like China and Russia, overshadowing the vital work USAID does to tackle pandemics and more. Let’s not overlook the American farmers struggling to sell their grains, the over 50,000 employees who have faced job losses, and the impact on local economies, including institutions like URI and nonprofits such as Edesia Nutrition, not to mention countless small businesses and NGOs across the United States.
“Even critics of USAID recognize the essential soft power that comes from targeted and effective programming,” remarked one subcommittee chair. So, do we really want to dismantle an entire organization because of a few mismanaged projects?