Democrats on Friday slammed President Trump over recent news reports that he is considering merging the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the State Department.
“It is imperative that we maintain an independent development voice and capability within the U.S. government. USAID is, by statute, an independent establishment outside of the State Department. Any proposal to modify that structure would require an Act of Congress,” four congressional Democrats wrote in a Friday letter to Jason Gray, USAID's acting administrator.
The three-page letter responded to multiple outlets' reporting that the Trump administration is considering having USAID, which among other things sends aid to communities impacted by conflicts and assists developing countries on many aspects, be placed under the control of the State Department.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and Brian Schatz (Hawaii) alongside Reps. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) expressed concern over the administration’s decision to place some USAID’s staff on leave, firing contractors and freezing foreign assistance which, they argued, put lives abroad and home at risk.
“The Administration’s decisions to place senior leaders throughout the agency on leave; to terminate ongoing programs without reviewing their efficacy and value simply because of how they were labeled under the previous Administration; and to freeze ongoing foreign assistance without engaging in meaningful consultation and transparency with Congress—including to ensure compliance with the law—have created a maelstrom of problems that have put our nation at risk and undermined American credibility around the globe,” they said in the letter.
Shaheen is the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while Schatz is the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. Meek is the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Frankel is the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs.
Politico first reported that USAID independence is on shaky ground, citing five people close to the administration. The administration is looking at legal pathways that Trump could utilize to sign an executive order that would shutter USAID’s independence, Reuters reported on Friday, citing one source familiar with the matter.
The agency, which has a budget of over $50 billion, was formed in November 1961, and it is housed in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
Since taking office, Trump signed an executive order to freeze foreign assistance for three months and directed officials to conduct a review of all of the programs to ensure they align with his vision of U.S. foreign policy.
A number of Senate Democrats have expressed their opposition to Trump’s reported interest in folding USAID under the umbrella of the State Department.
“Trump's been purging and intimidating USAID employees,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a Friday post on the social media platform X. “Now there’s a rumor he'll dissolve USAID as an independent agency. It was created by JFK and established in law to further our national security and spread hope. This'd be illegal and against our national interests.”
The Hill has reached out to USAID and the State Department for comment.
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