Introduction

Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Rogers, distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: thank you for the opportunity to discuss the President’s Budget Request for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.

The President’s Budget Request for FY 2021 for accounts that USAID fully and partially manages is approximately $19.6 billion. It proposes $2.1 billion for USAID-Global Health programs and $5.9 billion for the Economic Support and Development Fund (ESDF). In terms of USAID’s humanitarian assistance, it requests $6 billion for the International Humanitarian Assistance account, which—when combined with carryover resources from FY 2020—will enable us to support an average annual level of nearly $9 billion for FY 2020 and 2021 for overseas humanitarian assistance alone. This would be the second highest level ever and maintains the United States’ role as the largest humanitarian donor in the world. At the same time, we expect other donor countries to contribute their fair share.

USAID will use these resources to advance U.S. foreign-policy objectives by fostering stability in partner countries; promoting free, fair, and equitable societies; and expanding opportunities for American businesses. Our investments will also strengthen our national security by addressing the drivers of violent extremism and combating the spread of infectious diseases, each of which represents a potential threat to the Homeland. The sum requested reflects the Agency’s commitment to the responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and maximizing the impact of every dollar we manage.

Every day, USAID’s highly professional and dedicated staff work to deliver sustainable development solutions and build self-reliance in partner countries, project American values globally, and advance our foreign-policy and national-security objectives. While I cannot touch upon our work in each country in the limited time afforded me today, please allow me to discuss some of the more pressing themes and urgent situations at the forefront of our attention.

Venezuela

This Administration stands in solidarity with Interim President Guaidó, his administration, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan people as they work to recover their country and future. USAID will continue to support them in that noble effort. Since FY 2017, the United States has provided more than $656 million in humanitarian, economic, development, and health assistance inside Venezuela and across the region, including more than $472 million in humanitarian aid and approximately $184 million in economic, development and health assistance.

Those resources are helping to meet immediate humanitarian needs, like food and safe drinking water; stem the spread of infectious diseases; and assist those who have fled to other nations in search of food, medicine, and other basic necessities. We are supporting institutions like the National Assembly and independent media, and promoting the defense of human rights and the fight against corruption through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Venezuelan civil society. Additionally, our assistance is reaching communities throughout the region that are generously hosting Venezuelans who have had to leave their homeland because of the man-made chaos and deprivation in their homeland.

But even as we extend this financial and technical support, we are continuing to plan for the future. In 2019, USAID signed the first bilateral assistance agreement between USAID and a Venezuelan government in decades. This agreement allows us to expand our support to the National Assembly, a critical lifeline that keeps the hope of democracy alive within the country. And, as we have for years, we will continue to support human-rights defenders, civil-society organizations, and the legions of reporters and media investigators that hold Maduro and his cronies accountable, even at great personal risk. After a democratic transition, the bilateral agreement will allow USAID to fund efforts to repair healthcare institutions that have collapsed, and to deploy much needed resources to restore agriculture. The $205 million in ESDF and Global Health included in the President’s Request will further these efforts, predicated on the assumption that progress towards a democratic transition will occur over the coming year.

Outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The Government of the DRC declared the country’s tenth outbreak of Ebola on August 1, 2018. Since then, health officials have recorded at least 3,433 cases and 2,249 related deaths across the country’s North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri Provinces. For more than 18 months, a U.S. Government Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)—composed of experienced disaster-management professionals, health experts, and a representative from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—has been in-country leading the U.S. Government’s efforts to respond to the outbreak. The DART is working closely with the DRC Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), other donors, and key local stakeholders to coordinate interventions and make progress towards the shared objective of, as one local leader told me, “chasing the virus back into the jungle.” The United States is the single largest donor to the Ebola response, providing more than $319 million in response and preparedness efforts in DRC and neighboring countries through USAID.

USAID’s assistance has primarily focused on breaking the chain of transmission, including through investments that strengthen the prevention and control of infections at medical facilities, bolster disease surveillance and case-finding, expand access to vaccines, improve laboratory diagnostic capacity, and raise awareness about Ebola in at-risk communities. To complement these lines of effort, we have expanded our programs to address the interconnected humanitarian needs of Ebola-affected communities, by providing additional funding to primary health-care facilities to offer routine care, rehabilitating infrastructure for water and sanitation, and increasing our food assistance and nutritional support.

Those actions, and the much-welcomed “reset” by the international community to reinvigorate response efforts, have yielded significant progress in the fight against the disease. Between February 17 and 23, there was only one new recorded case; at the outbreak’s peak last summer, there were 100 new cases per week. But pervasive insecurity and community distrust—each rooted in the DRC’s painful legacy of exploitation and corrupt authoritarian rule—could still unwind that achievement. In August, I met with officials of the Government of the DRC in Kinshasa and urged them not only to be more proactive in addressing the medical dimension of the outbreak, but also to invest in quelling the violence and rebuilding trust in the long-neglected communities in the east of the country. USAID will continue to work with our colleagues in the U.S. Government interagency to advance that critical message in parallel to our ongoing assistance.

The Sahel

The urgency of the situation in the Sahel is clear. At the epicenter of conflict—where the Republics of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger meet—more than 2,000 civilians were killed in 2019 alone. The security situation has continued to deteriorate in the new year; according to the UN, violence has prompted an average of 4,000 people per day to flee parts of Burkina Faso since January 1. The wide expanse of violence and unceasing terrorism by violent extremist groups has caused an unprecedented emergency in West Africa’s Sahel region, or Central Sahel. The deteriorated situation has driven over 1.2 million people to flee their homes as refugees or to become internally displaced in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

There are multiple causes of the violence, including population pressures, competition for ever-scarcer resources, environmental degradation, the erosion of traditional mediation structures, and recurrent disasters. Criminal gangs and extremist groups are all too eager to opportunistically exploit these tensions to establish a foothold and recruit local populations. Governments across the region lack the presence or capacity to quell the violence and address people’s needs. When government security forces have intervened, their heavy-handed responses have actually stoked local grievances rather than stabilize the situation.

USAID has worked with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Government interagency to develop a range of initiatives aimed at addressing the crisis. We are deploying resources across three lines of effort: countering violent extremism (CVE), stabilizing communities, and building greater resilience within them. Our CVE work aims to reduce the risk of recruitment into and support for violent extremism and build the capacity and commitment of our partners to prevent and counter the violent extremist threats they face. We also work with governments to enhance their CVE strategies, strengthen citizen-responsive governance, and promote messaging that counters extremist propaganda. Our stabilization activities serve as a bridge between CVE programs and long-term investments, to help reduce violent conflict, support inclusive governance, and create stable environments conducive to development programming. Where we are able to implement long-term programs, we focus on expanding economic opportunities, increasing food security, improving governance, and bolstering the delivery of essential services—which fosters resilience against not only the overtures of extremist groups, but also the shocks and stressors common in the region.

Haiti

Ten years on from the devastating earthquake, we share the concerns of those in Congress and among the American people who observe the recent turmoil and question Haiti’s trajectory. We are alarmed at the violent protests that have shut down nearly everything in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere for long periods of time, with disastrous effects on school attendance, access to medical facilities, and local businesses. Shortages of fuel, roadblocks, protests, and violent incidents at times have caused interruptions to our programming.

It is important to remember the source of protesters’ anger. Haitians have not taken to the streets to rail against earthquakes and hurricanes. They are outraged by a political class that has let them down time and time again, by corrupt officials who have allegedly stolen money meant to lift the country out of poverty, and at outside peacekeepers linked to sexual misconduct and the spread of disease. Political deadlock between the President and Parliament prevented the Haitian Government from conducting overdue Parliamentary elections. With the expiration of Parliamentary mandates, President Moise now rules by decree.

USAID is responding to the humanitarian needs exacerbated by the recent violence and political gridlock. We are working with the World Food Programme to distribute 4,200 metric tons of food to meet the immediate needs of nearly 197,000 people. We are also funding humanitarian logistics operations to help move supplies to areas where access is difficult.

These are short-term measures—a treatment of the symptom, rather than the underlying condition. The people of Haiti deserve peace, prosperity, and stability, which only a transparent, citizen-responsive government that represents all segments of society can deliver. USAID will stand with those who work towards that brighter future. We will support Haitians who are committed to making a difference for their country, by helping them promote citizen-responsive governance, enforce the rule of law, protect human rights, support economic growth and create jobs, improve health and education, and build resilience to natural and man-made disasters.

The Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh and Burma

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh continues to host nearly one million Rohingya refugees from Burma, the majority of whom fled the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing conducted by Burma’s security forces in August 2017. In May 2018, I traveled to Cox’s Bazar District in Bangladesh—home to the world’s largest refugee camp—as well as to Burma’s Rakhine State. On that trip, I observed first-hand the inhumane conditions faced by the Rohingya communities that remain in Burma, as well as the challenges experienced by those who fled to Bangladesh.

It is deeply troubling that, nearly two years after my visit, internally displaced Rohingya across Burma continue to lack freedom of movement, and that the Burmese Government continues to deny other Rohingya in Rakhine State access to health care, education, and livelihoods. While those who escaped to Bangladesh have fared better, they face an uncertain future. They reside in crowded refugee camps, have limited access to education and livelihoods, and lack a meaningful say in the political negotiations around their potential repatriation. The Government of Burma has not taken adequate steps to create a situation in which those who fled can choose to safely return home with dignity. I do want to recognize the generosity of the Government of Bangladesh in hosting Rohingya refugees and its recent decision to allow formal education for Rohingya children inside the camps in Cox’s Bazar. This is a welcome step to improve the future for the refugees.

As the largest international donor of humanitarian assistance to the crisis, the U.S. Government continues to focus on measures that will improve the lives of the Rohingya left in Rakhine State, as well as the refugees and affected communities in Bangladesh. In Burma, the United States provides life-saving assistance to internally displaced Rohingya and works with stakeholders across civil society and government to address the underlying political, social, and economic causes of conflict. In Bangladesh, USAID works with the Department of State to support refugees through the direct distribution of food, the provision of cash and e-vouchers, and nutritional assistance. In FY 2021, USAID also plans to allocate resources for multi-sectoral programming in host and affected communities, an effort aimed at reducing tensions between refugees and Bangladeshis.

Yemen

We are extremely concerned by Houthi officials’ interference in aid operations in Yemen, where more than 17 million people urgently require humanitarian food assistance. Houthi interference in northern parts of the country is preventing vulnerable people from receiving the assistance they need to survive, a direct contradiction of the international humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. If the Houthis do not take concrete actions to stop the interference, the U.S. Government will be forced to suspend or reduce humanitarian and development programs in the affected areas, only maintaining the most critical life-saving activities to directly mitigate potential famine. Should that occur, we will continue to provide aid in areas of Yemen where we are confident that our partners can implement U.S.-supported aid programs without undue interference.

Syria

Hostilities continue to drive displacement and exacerbate humanitarian needs in northwest Syria. Since December 1, 2019, a joint offensive by Syrian and Russian security forces has displaced nearly one million people from southern Idlib Governorate and western Aleppo Governorate as of February 28. The operation has forced some US Government humanitarian partners to suspend or partially suspend activities in conflict-affected areas due to insecurity and airstrikes. Partners who are able have continued to provide food and other assistance by relocating distribution points to safe areas, including those areas receiving newly displaced populations.

India

Our development assistance to India has evolved to reflect the country’s progress. What began as a traditional donor-recipient relationship is now a peer-to-peer partnership. Today, USAID works with the Government of India (GOI), private-sector, and civil society to pilot cost-effective innovations, which can then be brought to scale once their efficacy is demonstrated. We are also supporting India’s burgeoning role as a donor by working with India’s Development Partnership Administration to facilitate the transfer of Indian expertise to countries in the region and globally, including in the areas of energy, natural resource management, digital technology and connectivity.

The U.S. Government supports the establishment of the U.S.-India Development Foundation (US-IDF). The proposed U.S.-IDF would employ innovative financing tools to attract and blend local public and private capital, including corporate social responsibility resources from India’s private sector, to catalyze enterprise-driven solutions that address India’s remaining development challenges.

Albania

USAID’s investments in Albania have helped the country make significant strides over the past 27 years. We believe that the Government of Albania is now well-positioned to take on more ownership of its development challenges. There are, however, areas of outstanding need, particularly around increasing transparency, reducing corruption, and strengthening rule of law. As Albanian Prime Minister Rama said to me during my visit last November, “Albania doesn’t need more money—it needs more technical assistance and knowledge.”

We intend to refine our partnership with Albania to reflect the country’s progress. The proposed U.S.-Albania Transparency Academy will help the country tackle corruption, foster a culture of transparency and accountability in government, and ensure justice for its citizens. In parallel, USAID will continue to provide technical assistance to the government, offering them the tools they need to plan, finance, and implement solutions to Albania’s development challenges.

Global Health

The President’s Budget Request for FY 2021 seeks $2.1 billion for USAID-Global Health programs. USAID will use these resources to accelerate progress towards ending preventable child and maternal deaths and combating infectious diseases, while building sustainable, effective, and efficient country health systems. As part of that effort, we will continue our longstanding efforts to strengthen developing countries’ capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases outbreaks.

The request includes $290 million of our multi-year, $1.16 billion contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Gavi contribution expands the impact of USAID’s bilateral programs, reaching unvaccinated children with cost-effective vaccines to accelerate progress towards preventing child deaths. This multi-year commitment will help protect an additional 300 million children, prevent at least seven to eight million future deaths, and fund vaccine stockpiles for emergency use to stop dangerous outbreaks.

The rapid spread of COVID-19, known as “Coronavirus,” underscores the importance of our investments in country health systems and Global Health Security. USAID has long worked to strengthen the disease surveillance, diagnostic, and response capacity of countries around the world. We believe that the investments we have made over the years will help countries better manage the situation as it evolves.

While there is still much that we do not know about the Coronavirus, including its rapid spread and the true number of cases worldwide, we have deployed resources to fight the disease. Last month, Secretary Pompeo announced that the U.S. Government would contribute up to $100 million to help stem the spread of Coronavirus. Of that sum, USAID plans to obligate $37 million to support surveillance activities; the investigation of alerts, rapid response, referrals, contact tracing; specimen collection and transport; laboratory support; infection, prevention, and control in key health facilities; the procurement, management, and deployment of personal protective equipment, and public messaging campaigns in affected and at-risk countries. We will continue to monitor the highly fluid situation and coordinate with our colleagues in the U.S. Government interagency on response efforts.

The Indo-Pacific Strategy

In recent years, the rising influence of authoritarianism across the Indo-Pacific region has fueled the spread of corruption, undermined state sovereignty, and eroded the already-fragile democratic institutions in many countries. These developments not only have curtailed political and civil freedoms, but also have had a profound impact on economic and social development. Corrupt political and economic elites have mortgaged their countries' future by allowing the irreversible exploitation of natural resources by nefarious actors. Economic growth has been inequitable in almost every instance, and in many countries, governments have opted for short-term expediency in exchange for long-term debt distress from predatory loans. Today, Asia is home to many of the most-highly debt-distressed countries in the world, which will likely constrain their domestic investments and could result in the eventual forfeiture of strategic assets to malign actors.

These developments risk America’s security and prosperity at home, which are closely tied to a stable, free, and open Indo-Pacific. To help reverse these troubling trends, USAID is supporting the U.S. Government’s the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) with a focus on three objectives: strengthening democratic systems, fostering economic growth led by the private sector, and improving the management of natural resources. The President’s Budget Request for FY 2021 seeks $1.5 billion for the Department of State foreign assistance resources and USAID in the Indo-Pacific region, an increase of 19 percent over his Request for FY 2020. USAID’s investments are bolstered by our own internal structural reforms that strengthen our bilateral and regional operations, including the opening of new USAID offices in Pacific Island countries.

Advancing International Religious Freedom

Religious freedom, which we often refer to here in the United States as our “first freedom” is not merely an American value—it is a human right. Amid the backdrop of rising violence against religious minorities worldwide and shrinking space for millions to practice their faith freely, this Administration is committed to protecting and promoting this most fundamental of freedoms. The President’s Budget Request for FY 2021 includes $150 million in funding for the USAID and Department of State to support religious and ethnic minorities and advance religious freedom around the world. These resources will enable USAID to maintain and expand our investments that protect vulnerable religious minorities, strengthen the enforcement of laws that protect religious freedom, and increase the advocacy capacity of civil society and faith-based organizations.

We will expand investments like those we have made under USAID’s New Partnerships Initiative, through which we have awarded more than $4 million in grants to six Iraqi organizations to help communities recover and heal from the devastation wrought by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. That funding supports activities that range from vocational training for youth, to trauma-rehabilitation services for survivors, to opening a preschool to care for community children.

USAID is proud of the real difference those investments have made in the lives of people affected by ISIS’ terror. Like the Yezidi women in northern Iraq who have received counseling services and other forms of support through USAID-funded programs. Or the people of Sinjar and surrounding villages, who now have more regular electricity through our partnership with Nadia Murad and her initiative. Or those in the Ninewa Plains who have benefited from our skills training projects, which help to expand economic opportunities to people whose lives were so thoroughly disrupted by the violence. And the vulnerable households in Syria that our faith-based partners have been able to reach with vocational training. Each of these investments have helped to restore hope and opportunity to these communities.

The resources proposed in the President’s Budget Request will also help us build on our experience in Northern Iraq and Syria launching programs to assist endangered minority communities that are facing discrimination and persecution across the Middle East, as well as in other parts of the world where religious and ethnic minorities and religious freedom are under pressure.

Basic Education

USAID invests in high-quality education for all children and youth, because empowering the next generation to reach their full potential is the foundation for sustainable development. It is also a key driver of self-reliance at the family, community, and country levels. Education is transformational for both individuals and societies—it creates pathways to better health; greater economic growth; a sustainable environment; and more peaceful, democratic societies.

Our 2018 Education Policy, which directed key strategic shifts in our education work, guides these investments. While improving learning outcomes among students in our partner countries remains our key objective, we have also renewed our commitment to education for children and youth affected by crisis and conflict; improved how we generate, analyze, and use educational data for decision-making; expanded the universe of educational providers with which we work, including non-state schools; and developed new opportunities to improve the leadership development, motivation, skills, and capacity of teachers, as well as teacher-training policies.

USAID continues to lead the implementation of the U.S. Government Strategy for International Basic Education mandated by the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act (READ) Act of 2017. This leadership has led to improved coordination across the U.S. Government to ensure our international education assistance responds to the needs of children and young adults in our partner countries, and that our investments are as effective and efficient as possible.

Women’s Economic Empowerment

USAID has long prioritized women’s economic empowerment, because equality is not simply a fundamental American value—it is also smart development. Our experience has consistently shown that investments in women and girls yields dividends across all the areas in which we work, from the prevention of conflict to health to economic growth. Empowered women are also a key driver of self-reliance; when women thrive, their families rise, children are better nourished, their communities prosper, and their countries are better-off.

The establishment of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Fund at USAID has helped us to prioritize our global programs in women’s economic empowerment, in alignment with the three pillars of the W-GDP Initiative. Through the initiative, USAID’s investments reached nearly nine million women around the world last year. The President’s Budget Request includes $200 million for the W-GDP Fund, resources that will enable us to build on that success. We will expand existing activities and create new, innovative partnerships and programs to facilitate greater private-sector engagement; scale entrepreneurial skills-training for women; increase their access to finance, markets, and business networks; break down the legal, regulatory, and cultural barriers to their empowerment and equality including gender-based violence; advance digital literacy; and expand efforts to recruit, retain, and promote women in male-dominated industries.

We have already made tremendous progress towards W-GDP’s ambitious goal of reaching 50 million women in the developing world by 2025. The resources sought in the President's Budget Request will help us get there.

An Expanding Global Presence: New Missions and Offices

A core tenet of USAID’s approach to foreign assistance is our commitment to work with those who demonstrate the willingness to pursue the Journey to Self-Reliance and who make the tough choices and difficult reforms that Journey entails. We remain at the ready to allocate resources when political openings and emergent needs present an opportunity for us to begin new partnerships, deepen existing ones, or re-initiate those that have lain dormant. Over the past year, we have seized several such opportunities, by opening new Missions and Offices in nearly every region where we work.

In the Middle East, USAID upgraded its presence in the Republic of Tunisia to a full Mission last August. That decision reflects our effort to help the Government and people of Tunisia fully realize the promise of their revolution by continuing to consolidate citizen-responsive, democratic institutions; foster inclusive economic growth; and represent all segments of society.

In West Africa, USAID has established and expanded our presences in the Republics of Cameroon and Niger, two countries where we have ramped up engagement in response to the ongoing crisis in the Sahel. Last summer, we established an Office in Yaoundé, which will focus on strengthening health care, promoting moderate voices as alternatives to violent extremists, and facilitating our ongoing humanitarian assistance in-country. In Niger, we upgraded our presence to a full Mission following clearance of Congressional Notification on June 14, 2019. The Mission will enable us to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance better, foster more effective and citizen-responsive governance, and create the conditions necessary for sustained economic growth⁠—all of which will help counter the appeal of violent extremism in the country.

In the Horn of Africa, we re-established our Mission in Somalia on June 17, 2019, after a nearly 30-year absence. I traveled to the country to inaugurate the new Mission, where I highlighted how the Government of Somalia’s sincere commitment to peace, citizen-responsive governance, and the expansion of economic opportunity made the upgrade possible. USAID is committed to helping Somalians fulfill their ambitions.

In Latin America, we plan to reestablish our presence in the Republic of Ecuador—where we closed our Mission in 2014—by opening a Country Office in Quito this month. The Office will manage a growing portfolio of democracy, environment, economic growth, health, and humanitarian assistance to recently arrived Venezuelan migrants. It will follow the Memorandum of Understanding I signed with the Government of Ecuador in May 2019 and build on the open, democratic direction in which President Moreno and his government have taken the country. The President’s Budget Request for FY 2021 reflects an increase of almost $10 million towards Ecuador for USAID to support the positive democratic reforms that President Moreno has initiated.

In 2020, USAID will expand our presence across the Pacific Islands, by positioning additional personnel or Country Offices in the Republic of Fiji, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau. This increased presence will visibly reinforce U.S. commitment in the region, help us to advance the goals of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, and serve as a counter to the growing malign presence and influence of authoritarian actors in the region.

Transformation: Establishing New Structures

When I last appeared before this Subcommittee, on February 27, 2019, I provided a broad overview of USAID’s “Transformation,” a set of interconnected reforms to our workforce, structure, programs, and policies. We initiated this process with one goal in mind: building the USAID of tomorrow, an Agency better-placed to respond to dynamic challenges, foster self-reliance, and one day end the need for foreign assistance. We have implemented a number of those reforms through milestones like the development of our Self-Reliance metrics, the release of our Country Roadmaps, the launch of our Policy Framework, the publication of our first-ever Acquisition and Assistance Strategy, and the implementation of our Private-Sector Engagement Policy.

The latest milestone in our Transformation is the formal establishment of several new Bureaus, the culmination of a rigorous process of design and consultation aimed at creating a structure that is more field-oriented, functionally aligned, and responsive to the evolving needs and challenges in the countries where we work. In late summer 2018, we submitted nine Congressional Notifications (CNs) to request concurrence for these new Bureaus; I am pleased to announce that we have legally established the Bureaus for Resilience and Food Security, Humanitarian Assistance, and Conflict Prevention and Stabilization. Once operational, these three Bureaus will elevate and align our humanitarian assistance and investments in stabilization and preventing and mitigating conflict.

The CN for our proposed Bureau for Policy, Resources, and Performance—which would bring together our strategy, policy, and budgets teams through joint management of our Program and Operating Expense resources—remains outstanding. This is the most-important remaining piece of our Transformation. I ask for your rapid concurrence with the CN, which you have had for 18 months. The other members of USAID’s leadership and I are available and eager to answer any questions you might have so that we can move forward with that process.

Conclusion

Chairwoman, Ranking Member, distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, I can confirm for you that USAID has made significant progress in our reform efforts over the past year. Today, the Agency is better placed to leverage our influence, authority, and available resources to advance U.S. interests, provide humanitarian and development assistance, and, alongside our international partners, meet the daunting challenges we see around the world. With your support and guidance, we will ensure USAID remains the world’s premier international development agency and continues the important work we do, each day, to protect America’s future security and prosperity.

Thank you for allowing me to speak with you today, and I welcome your questions.