USAID has done amazing work over the past 55 years, but we can and must do even better. If confirmed, I commit to consulting with you when there are hard decisions, and working side-by-side to strengthen the Agency. Mr. Chairman, I believe that USAID is an asset to our national security and the global face of American generosity. With your support for my confirmation, I commit to working with the talented men and women of USAID to build up what is working, change what is not, and deliver an Agency that is even stronger and more effective tomorrow than the one that exists today.

In 2017, we are confronted with massive humanitarian crises around the world, which demand an immediate, substantial, and creative response. In just over a decade, the number of people in need of humanitarian aid has more than doubled. There are more than 65 million displaced people today—numbers we have not seen since World War II. We are also facing the most serious food security crisis in the modern era. Famine likely occurred in parts of Nigeria late last year and was declared in South Sudan this year; Somalia and Yemen are likely to be next.

Chairman Corker, Ranking Member Cardin, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today to discuss U.S. policy and international commitments with regard to Afghanistan. It is an honor to appear before you with the U.S. Department of State’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Olson.