Legislation would require Director of Foreign Assistance to be confirmed by the Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.)and colleagues in introducing the Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act, legislation to expand congressional oversight of foreign assistance decision-making. The bill would require the State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and for all foreign assistance funding provided to the State Department or U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be used as directed within 90 days of its appropriation by Congress. The Director of Foreign Assistance is currently not confirmed by the Senate, and the Trump Administration has refused to publicly identify the individual currently occupying this powerful position.
“President Trump and Elon Musk—making wildly false and defamatory accusations— have made it clear that they could care less about the thousands of dedicated American aid workers and millions of people around the world who depend on USAID’s life-saving work. They are trying to destroy as much of USAID as they can get away with, and the fact that it’s illegal and unconstitutional is of no concern to them. We will not stand by while an agency that plays a unique and indispensable role in protecting U.S. interests and security is dismantled,” said Senator Welch. “This bill will strengthen our foreign assistance programs and help ensure that the will of Congress prevails.”
“Foreign assistance is not a handout. It is a critical part of our national security strategy and a key tool to keep Americans safe from disease, narcotics and instability. China has rapidly expanded its foreign assistance over the past decade, and would like nothing more than for the United States to retreat on the global stage. The Trump Administration’s recent attempts to destroy USAID and U.S. foreign assistance programs emboldens China, Russia, and Iran, makes Americans less safe, puts thousands of Americans out of work, and is already causing cause immense human suffering for millions of people around the world,” said Senator Kaine. “That’s why I’m introducing this bill to force congressional oversight of this lawless and damaging behavior.”
The legislation expresses the sense of Congress that foreign assistance is critical to U.S. national security, reiterates USAID’s status as a legally independent agency, specifies the exact authorities of the Office of Foreign Assistance, and creates an extra layer of review for personnel decisions within the Office of Foreign Assistance.
In addition to Sens. Welch and Kaine, the legislation was cosponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patti Murray (D-Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Read the full text of the bill.
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