Today, First Focus Campaign for Children, joined by nearly 40 organizations working to support the poorest and most marginalized populations on the planet, sent the following letter to Representatives Tom Cole and Rosa DeLauro, as well as Senators Susan Collins and Patty Murray — Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committees on Appropriations — to urgently call for their leadership in protecting the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Excerpt from the letter:
The White House and the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) have rapidly dismantled USAID in the span of weeks. They have fired development professionals with decades of experience, frozen already appropriated funding for critical programs, and thrown the global community into chaos. These actions are illegal and cruel. They have usurped the power of the legislative branch and are already causing the preventable suffering and increasing risk of death of millions of the most vulnerable people in the world, including children. We urge you to push back forcefully and quickly against this shortsighted and ill-considered action on the part of the White House. The fraction of the budget that the U.S. invests in foreign aid has an outsized positive impact and is good for America and Americans. Foreign aid promotes international trade, boosts goodwill for our nation, enhances our security, and benefits our economy. It is also seen by top U.S. military leaders as a key strategy for reducing the need for U.S. intervention overseas. Further, dismantling USAID will leave tens of thousands of Americans without jobs, thereby harming our domestic economy at a time when inflation is already causing strain on U.S. families.