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Consistent with House Resolution 965 and accompanying regulations, staff will only mute members and witnesses as appropriate when they are not under recognition to eliminate background noise. I see that we have a quorum and i now recognize myself for opening remarks. Somebody said it was like spotting a unicorn. Pursuant to notice, the committee is convened to hear testimony on the trump administrations foreign assistance budget west for the 2021 fiscal year area your predecessor, administrator green and i did not agree on everything, but he did a good and serious job and i know he did value the importance of foreign assistance as a tool of American Foreign policy. Think he was terrific. Whatever mr. Green personally felt, it certainly did not align with the administrations views, which we have seen again and again in the budgets the administration has sent to congress. It budget request is a lot more than numbers on a page, it is a statement of values and priorities in the administrations values and i already stated we should cut our International Affairs budget by roughly a quarter. We should cut funding for Global Health, food aid, cut democracy assistance. Frankly, it is almost what we have come to expect and after 3. 5 exhausting years, we have all heard the administrations message loud and clear. The message seems to be we dont care, we dont care about the good our Development Efforts do, we dont care about the peoples come of the communities to benefit from this work, we dont care about the harm done to American Leadership when we pull back from the global stage, we dont care about the people who work at usaid, and we dont care about congress, which has resound late rejected the budget every time they have been sent out every week get it. This starts at the top and we all understand the president. One of the reasons foreign assistance is so important is that it is every action of our countrys compaction and generosity, the character of america at the heart of our Foreign Policy when we are at our best every at apparently, the president doesnt think that way. He does not look back on things like the Marshall Plan, the berlin air laughed airlift as Global Leadership. He praised the chinese ,overnment tactics at tiananmen who writes off most of a continent using a term i wont , praising the chinese governments tactics at the tiananmen it is really offbase. Unfortunately, we know what to expect, a 50 cut to Family Planning because the administration is crusading against women self. Womens health. We know to expect reduced assistance to Central America because the United States has an antiimmigrant agenda. What is especially galling about the budget that was sent to us is that even in the middle of a Global Pandemic, one that has cost nearly 150,000 american lives, the Administration Still wants to cut funding for Global Health effort. The slight increase requested for Global Health security is good, but it is overshadowed by massive cuts elsewhere. Taken with the withdrawal from ,he World Health Organization which is the International Body best equipped to coordinate International Response to covid19, it is almost as though we are waving the white flag. Guy,fraid you are a nice but you will run into a little bit of skepticism today as you this budget. N i think we will also need answers about a number of chilling management decisions you apparently made when taking over for administrator. I will soon recognize you for five minutes to summarize your yieldg statement and the to the Ranking Member, mr. Mccall for opening remarks. Thank you mr. Chairman for calling this important hearing. , itng administrator barsa is good to see you again. I want to thank you and your team and our partners in the field, especially amidst this Global Pandemic, the tireless work of the men and women of usaid to save lives around the world is critical. United dates continues to be the Global Leader in foreign assistance spending, supporting Economic Growth and providing food, shelter, and Health Resources for the most vulnerable populations. Policys on key implementations including the indo pacific strategy, resources to counter malign activity and disinformation campaigns of china, russia, and iran. It is important support for our allies and partners in the middle east. Support for democracy in venezuela, as well as countries supporting venezuelan refugees fory prioritizes funding the United StatesInternational Development finance corp. Ration corporation, which provides a critical alternative to chinas predatory lending. It also advances w gdp initiative to promote womens empowerment and economic opportunity, which i strongly support. Unfortunately, the writ must also cuts key Global Health and humanitarian assistance resources. Globally, almost 80 Million People are currently displaced around the world. That number is expected to rise because of covid. The World Food Program is estimating that 270 Million People will need urgent Food Assistance due to covid19 and 82 increase from last year. Covid19 is already erasing hardfought game to reduce hivaidsoverty, combat , and other Infectious Diseases. Authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations are looking to ask lloyd this chaos for strategic gains, such as in areas. So the disease spreads in the middle east, latin america, existing economic hardships, political challenges, and humanitarian urgencies will worsen. Time to cutt the this key aide. Im deeply concerned the impacts of covid19 will push more fragile states into conflict. Our assistance must prioritize prevention in further destabilization. In addition to longterm impacts on education, Food Security, and vaccine distribution. This Global Pandemic continues to spread and the work we do overseas makes us safer here at home. Successful diplomacy and development is cost effective, fully funded our or and assistance programs, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars. With todays physical challenges, we must double our everys to ensure that dollar spent is strategic in advancing efforts. I look forward to hearing how assistance will be used to push back on chinas malign influence and mitigate the impacts of covid19 and ensure continued u. S. Leadership around the world. With that, mr. Chairman, i yield back. Friend, you, i think my i agree with his testimony. I think it is very important points that were made by the chairman and the Ranking Member. , theitness this morning acting administrator of the United States agency for International Development, we are happy to have you here and you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. It is an honor and privilege to testify in front of the committee and i look forward to your questions. I would like to thank you for your bipartisan support, which mount awed usaid to robust response to the unprecedented covid19 pandemic that has touched nearly every person around the world, both at home and overseas. Must continuetes an aggressive comprehensive response, health and humanitarian assistance, and address ongoing secondorder effects such as Food Security, Economic Growth, and preventing democratic backsliding. Im committed to doing so all available resources and not let any opportunities arise for our adversaries to fill the vacuum in a turbulent world. Every day, usaids staff work to develop deliver Development Solutions and build selfreliance in partner countries, project american advance ourlly, and objectives. The president s budget for fy approximately 19. 6 billion, including 2. 1 billion for usaid Global Health programs and 5. 9 billion for the economic support and development for the efdf fund. They will advance Foreign Policy objectives by fostering stability countries, promoting free, fair, and equitable societys, and expanding opportunities for american businesses. Investments will also strengthen National Security by addressing violent extremism and combating the spread of Infectious Diseases, each of which represents a potential threat to the homeland. America hasovid19, demonstrated clear and decisive leadership. The United States is mobilized, but the virus at home and abroad by committing 12 million to the response. Id has acted responsibly 12 billion to the response. Rapidly as part of and all of america response. With 2. 4 billion dollars in emergency supplemental funding generously appropriated by billion, including 1. 6 implemented by usaid and the state department, we are providing health care become economic security, and stabilization efforts worldwide. This funding is saving lives by improving Public Health education, training healthcare workers, strengthening laboratory systems, supporting disease surveillance, and used in Rapid Response capacity around the world. We are providing assistance to support communities and them with the tools needed to mitigate the act of the virus. The u. S. Response to covid19 hills upon Global Health. The United States has contributed more than 140 billion in health assistance. , thethe past 20 years Vaccine Alliance has helped vaccinate more than 760 million children. It has prevented 13 million deaths. 1. 6nited states committed billion over the next four years with the goal to immunize more children by 2025. The Malaria Initiative has helped save more than 7 million lives and prevented more than one billion malaria cases. America has invested more than 85 billion to fight hivaids, the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. It has saved millions of lives in africa. Usaid continues to invest in Global Health security. 70 h account for more than of new Infectious Disease outbreaks. We invested 1. 1 billion in this area since 2009 area even as last month, we declared an end , we arEbola Outbreak now scaling up a response to fight the confirmed 11th outbreak in northwestern drc. These investments in Global Health or the decades have enabled partner countries to strengthen Health Systems and democratic institutions, enabling them to better respond to Global Health crises. We are in unprecedented times with a rapidly evolving situation on the ground in almost every country. We are working aggressively to allocate resources for covid19. At the same time, we want to ensure we are accountable to the effect of use of funds and are good stewards of taxpayer dollars. As we consider how to prevent the next Health Crisis, we have to address the root cause of these outbreaks. I remain focused on efforts to help artan or countries on their journeys of selfreliance and will continue to look forward to the data programs can end. Our investments are the cornerstone of this approach. We have learned that our nexen epidemics are often decimated failures of governance transparency. When we do not address poor governance, we wipe out basic social services. Healthgnize that emergencies have consequences that can require Broader Development assistance, whether support for orphaned children, prevention of Sexual Exploitation and abuse, addressing the deeper root causes of instability and governance. While i hallmark is using analytics to measure progress, we must also measure regression, see how we may need to adjust programs. Looking longterm, we remain committed to helping communities in partner countries. The covid19 pandemic is not simply a Health Crisis and our response cannot just be a health response. Ofmust use the totality Development Tools at our disposal. To focus on how to best operate, i established a planning cell an executive Steering Committee to guide the effort. While the usaid task force manages challenges, the over horizon team will perform research, conduct outreach, and prepare analyses to help usaid develop in the medium to long term. It will provide this information to the executive Steering Committee to craft recommendations for my consideration. We are already planning for medium and longterm impacts of covid19. Because im committed to making sure we are a trusted artan or trusteded partner and committed partner around the world. Thank you very much for your testimony. Let me say this. Several years, this administration has attempted several rescissions and other methods of slowing down or stopping distance spending as a result, we have seen funding obligated in fits and starts with a scramble at the end of a fiscal year we saw this again with the slow disbursement of the covid supplemental funding hampered by policy decisions and extra lairs of bureaucracy. The Foreign Affairs committee has strongly objected to these tactics and fully expects the resources provided by congress to be fully utilized in the manner for which they were provided. , how muchask you this of usaids expiring funds have been allocated to date . Mr. Barsa congressman, i dont have the exact figure in terms of the number of funds to date, but i know we are making Good Progress and we expect to have them obligated by the end of the fiscal year. Let me say this, do you commit to obligating all expiring funding, as well as beforeental covid money the end of the fiscal year . Mr. Barsa that is the goal and i look forward to working with you to keep you apprised regularly as we move toward that goal. Thank you. If congress provides additional supplemental funding, how will you ensure that the money will get out the door where it is urgently needed . Certainly we have had this has been a learning process. Pandemic has affected the entire world, so im happy to say that as a learning organization, we have improved our processes for getting money out the door expeditiously. Congressseful to generosity. Should there be another supplemental, im very confident we have the systems in place to get money out expeditiously in a responsible manner. Thank you. As i alluded to in my opening statement, there have been several recent management decisions under your leadership at usaid and some of those are very troubling to myself and some of my colleagues. The recent influx of appointees serving our agency with a record of homophobic, antiimmigrant, islam a phobic, and other derogatory comments appears to be in direct contradiction to the agencys aims and an affront to the dedicated career staff who serve at usaid. So, is this the kind of person you want representing usaid and the American People . What message are we sending to employees by allowing appointees like americorps again, Merrick Corrigan who has referred to the homo empire and womens supposedly quality to men. Those are troubling to us. I can commit to you that all usaid employees, regardless of hiring category, are held to the same high moral, legal, and ethical standards that usaid has always had an lace. Thank you, i now turn it over to the Ranking Member, mr. Mccall. Thank you,