During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week, Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) spoke of the risks of eliminating government programs.
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00:00Thank you, Chairman Mast, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.
00:04None of the public hearings this committee has held on reauthorizing the State Department, including today's,
00:10have had a witness who is a current employee of the State Department.
00:14By comparison, at this point, last Congress, we heard from seven current State Department officials, including the Secretary of State.
00:22So I look forward to seeing Secretary Rubio in this hearing room soon.
00:27This committee does not appear serious at this point about a thoughtful reauthorization process.
00:35If so, we would invite and have present current state leaders to be part of the public record so everybody can participate in the discussion.
00:44Instead, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem content to, once again, rubber stamp President Trump and Secretary Rubio's half-baked plan to eliminate programs to save lives.
00:56Let's highlight some of these harms.
01:00Ms. Zaya, could you provide one-word answers to the following questions?
01:05Would eliminating the office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons help or hurt our anti-trafficking efforts?
01:12Hurt.
01:13Would it help or hurt our ability to rescue victims of human trafficking?
01:18Hurt.
01:18Would it help or hurt our ability to identify and prosecute human traffickers?
01:24Hurt.
01:25Turning now to the Office of Global Women's Issues, the branch focused on women and girls in peace and security processes.
01:34Would Secretary Rubio's elimination plan help or hurt women gaining leadership roles around the world?
01:41Hurt.
01:41Secretary Rubio proposed gutting the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, which works to prevent conflicts that increase the risk of terrorism, trafficking, and smuggling.
01:53Would eliminating this Bureau help or hurt our national security?
01:57Hurt.
01:58Would it help or hurt our ability to combat terrorist acts?
02:01Hurt.
02:02Lastly, this Bureau funds work to document human rights abuses, war crimes, and other atrocities.
02:11Would eliminating this Bureau hurt or help our ability to prevent human rights violations?
02:16Hurt.
02:17So it is critical here.
02:19I know we just ran through that exercise, but there are clear decisions, clear contrast.
02:24This plan puts us on the wrong side of those.
02:27Now, on this continued frustration that I have around humanitarian aid, I refuse to be silent amid the unlawful effort to shut down USAID.
02:41And let me underscore unlawful.
02:43The reorganization plan completely eliminates USAID and calls for regional bureaus, the State Department, as we've talked about, to take over the development programming in their region.
02:52For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, USAID had been working on improving education to promote economic growth and political stability in the region.
03:02Ms. Zayek, you can take your time with this one.
03:04I don't need one word.
03:06But does the State Department have the expertise and staff necessary to effectively implement formally USAID development programs like these education programs in sub-Saharan Africa?
03:17And how does eliminating USAID harm our global development efforts?
03:21Congresswoman, the short answer is no.
03:25It does not have the expertise and the resources.
03:28But I would also make the point that it simply does not add up to take on such responsibilities at the same time you are making an unjustified, unexplained 15 percent to the domestic staff.
03:42And we've talked a lot about the foreign service, which I was a member of proudly for three decades plus.
03:48But there is a civil service in the department, you know, over 10,000 strong, where there is a reserve of tremendous regional subject matter expertise.
04:02But you simply cannot assign these responsibilities.
04:05And I make the point about overseas presence because there is there has been a strong USAID presence overseas.
04:12Both Americans and locally employed staff members who themselves are incredibly capable, dedicated employees of the United States who have really specialized in areas where you simply cannot assign that to a foreign service officer or GS-13 and expect to have success.
04:32By the way, while you're cutting the hide out of those offices or eliminating over 130 offices at the same time.
04:40Look, my time is wrapping up, but I want to conclude with this.
04:44This reauthorization provides us with a great opportunity.
04:47And I'm grateful that there is bipartisan agreement that we can use this moment to advance our interests, but not as we shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to the expertise, the talent, the capacities that we have to make American interests meet the moment with our values across the world.
05:11My time is expired and I yield back.
05:13Thank you, Representative Ammo, and I would remind you it would be unconventional to have unconfirmed appointees come and testify before us.
05:21Additionally, I don't know if you were present, but Mr. Morocco did come and speak to us, testify before us as well.
05:27And Secretary Rubio is scheduled to come.