Acting Administrator Lenhardt - as a fellow New Yorker I welcome you to our Subcommittee. I look forward to discussing the President’s vision for development and global health. We cannot build the world we want for ourselves and future generations without a strong, stable, and well-resourced development policy.
USAID has spent the last several years endeavoring to rebuild itself as a premier development agency - on the frontlines of poverty reduction and disease eradication - while leading international efforts to advance economic opportunity, health, education, food security, and democracy activities. The efforts of you and your AID colleagues, made possible only by the continued generosity of the American taxpayer, make us all proud.
With so many challenges around the world, it is our responsibility to make sure USAID has the tools to prioritize global needs, effectively implement its programs, and evaluate what is and what is not working. And when challenges arise, Congress and the Agency need to speak frankly on how to remedy them.
This year’s request includes a significant increase for Central America to address the root causes and rapid increase in migration of unaccompanied minors. How does this initiative build on previous efforts in the region and to what extent are the Central American countries prepared to partner with you? I know we agree that our chances of success are significantly enhanced when local governments are fully engaged and prepared to contribute. I hope you will also address the long-term plan.
I understand USAID cannot - nor should not - be present in every country in the world. Nevertheless, is this year’s dramatic increase for Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia an attempt to make up for the fact that USAID has not been very active in Eastern Europe in recent years? Given Russia’s continued provocations against Ukraine and its neighbors, is the requested assistance still adequate? How will USAID prioritize any new funding?
I was very pleased that the Congress provided $2.6 billion in emergency funding to help combat to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The U.S. response continues to showcase USAID’s ability to lead international humanitarian efforts - particularly during a time of crisis.
The outbreak also reinforced that robust national health systems are an absolute necessity, and that without one in place, crises are far worse, require far greater resources, and are likely to reappear. I hope you will address how we can build an appropriate health infrastructure to prevent another disease outbreak.
I also need to raise two additional issues. First - basic education funding. The FY 16 request once again cuts current levels despite widespread agreement on the importance of these programs to the United States and millions of children around the world. I hope you will commit to working with me on both the amount of resources and the quality of USAID’s basic education programs this year.
The second issue is family planning. Giving women some measure of control over the size and spacing of their families has long-lasting benefits for them, their children, and their communities. I hope we can all work together this year to address this basic need without partisan fights and divisive policies.
In closing, as I have said before, the strength of USAID is, and always has been, its dedicated public servants from the top down. While I know we will all miss Administrator Shah’s tireless efforts, I look forward to working with you and building on the many endeavors started under his leadership.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
