Hearing Wrap Up: America-First Foreign Aid Protects U.S. Interests at Home and Abroad
WASHINGTON—The Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) held a hearing today titled “America Last: How Foreign Aid Undermined U.S. Interests Around the World” to expose egregious foreign aid spending, review proposed reforms, and aid the Trump Administration’s efforts to implement America-first foreign aid policies. Members of the Subcommittee presented an overwhelming array of examples illustrating how the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has spent taxpayer dollars on programs that undermine American interests. Expert witnesses slammed the Biden Administration for blindly doling out money and not conducting proper oversight of tax dollars. The Subcommittee will continue to investigate this waste, fraud, and abuse while aiding the Trump Administration’s effort to reevaluate and realign U.S. foreign aid with America-first interests.
Key Takeaways
Foreign aid programs have a sordid record of weaponizing and politicizing taxpayer dollars to support radical, left-wing programs around the world.
- DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Greene blasted the Biden Administration for transforming USAID into an “America-last” organization that funded extremist priorities in foreign countries: “Not only is USAID giving $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland or $50,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia to entrench their left-wing ideology across the globe. USAID has been transformed into an America-last, foreign aid slush fund to prop up extremist groups, implement censorship campaigns, and interfere in foreign elections to force regime change around the world. That is the dark truth about USAID. That is the story the American people need to know.”
- Gregg Roman, the Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, shared a recently uncovered photo of USAID officials working directly with and celebrating their connection to Hamas-linked organizations: “This is not a conspiracy. This is a U.S. government communication…Behind me you’ll see the Bayader and Unlimited Limited Friends Association, two groups in Gaza. Members of the Bayader charity cozy up to senior members of the Hamas Politburo, like Abdul Salam Haniyeh, the son of slaughtered Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, who is credited as one of the planners of the October 7th attacks on Israel…You’ll see behind me, four images which don’t just show members of Bayader and UFA associating with members of Hamas, but also USAID officials, employees of the U.S. government, receiving awards because of their cooperation with these two Hamas linked entities. You even have a Facebook post from a few years ago, which is the USAID office in Jerusalem, celebrating their relationship with a Hamas entity. I can’t find anything more disgusting.”
Moving forward, America’s interests must always come first when deciding how to allocate aid to foreign countries. Reforming current processes to realign U.S. interests with our foreign policy priorities will ensure taxpayer dollars are only spent on programs that benefit hard working Americans.
- Max Primorac, a Former USAID Official who now serves as a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, described how U.S. foreign aid funds radical organizations and nations that oppose America’s core principles: “We have been funding radical NGOs around the world that oppose capitalism, democracy, NATO, and Christianity…Despite what we hear in the media, there is no linkage between how we do aid and our national security. South Africa has received billions of American aid dollars, yet is China’s main Africa partner. South Africa is ‘S’ in BRICS. It supports Hamas and Iran and opposes us at every turn at the United Nations. Last summer, Mozambique and Tanzania, both large aid recipients, conducted two-week military exercises with the People’s Liberation Army, expanding communist China’s power projection to the lip of our Atlantic Ocean.”
- Tyler O’Neil, the Managing Editor of The Daily Signal, painted a clear picture of corruption in our foreign aid programs by highlighting former Biden Administration USAID officials who left the agency to work for organizations that seek to harm America-first policies: “Arabella Advisors, a for-profit company, launched nonprofits that funnel cash to various left-wing initiatives, cloaking which donors fund which projects. New Venture Fund, one of the nonprofits, launched Governing for Impact, a shadowy nonprofit that advised top bureaucrats in the Biden administration. Ann Van Dusen, who spent 25 years at USAID, now serves as a senior associate at Arabella Advisors. Chika Nwankwo, who worked as a research assistant for USAID, now works on vaccines via a contract with New Venture Fund.”
President Trump has a mandate from the American people to cut waste and protect U.S. tax dollars. The DOGE Subcommittee stands at the ready to assist in these efforts and provide actionable solutions that put American interests first.
- Rep. Timmons defended President Trump’s efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in foreign aid: “77 million people voted for President Trump because we are out of balance. The administration, whoever was running the show, engaged in ridiculous policies that the America people disagree with, whether it’s with DEI or trans policy, whatever it is. We’re turning the page and we’re not going to abdicate our leadership in the global community. We’re going to hit reset because we are so out of bounds that all we can do is go to zero and build back.”
- Rep. Cloud clarified that the individuals making decisions about foreign aid funding are a part of the bloated, unelected bureaucracy, not elected representatives in Congress: “So you got to wonder how this is happening, because this is not in the legislation. There’s no line item in the legislation that has these sort of things in it…so the people sending money are not elected officials…We’re working on legislation to fix that. But one of the things that’s really disturbing is the fact that some of the money that’s going out doesn’t even have a name for where it’s going out.”
Member Highlights
DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) exposed President Biden’s attempt to leverage USAID funding as a bargaining tool to protect his son’s foreign interests. She also detailed how billions of taxpayer dollars were wasted to orchestrate a regime change in Syria that ultimately failed to improve America’s safety.
DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Greene: “When Joe Biden was President, his son Hunter, was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma. The prosecutor general of Ukraine at the time, Viktor Shokin, was investigating Burisma for corruption. Biden threatened, and it’s on video, to withhold 1 billion of USAID grant to Ukraine if Shokin wasn’t fired. Mr. Primary, is USAID supposed to be used as leverage by a president to protect his son?”
Mr. Primorac: “No, we call that corruption.”
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DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Greene: “One of the most extensive examples of regime change operations fueled by USAID, is that of their role in the Syrian civil war aimed at toppling Bashar al Assad…sources estimate that USAID funneled over 15 billion into Syria over a decade…The operation culminated in Assad’s overthrow in 2024 by Western backed groups with USAID financial trails documented in congressional budget reports and criticized by Syrian officials as interference masked as assistance. Mr. Roman, do these kinds of activities carried out by an American agency make Americans safer at home or do they risk embroiling us in more deadly and costly foreign conflicts.”
Mr. Roman: “When the agency is doing it according to the way in which represents American national security interest, it’s correct. But when it’s abused for political purposes, ideological umbrage, and sponsoring Islamism, which is inherently anti-American, it is the worst exhaustion of American taxpayer money that can be thought of, especially when it leads to the loss and danger to American lives.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) ripped the Biden Administration’s foreign aid apparatus for aiding terrorist organizations through indirect assistance and examined how terrorists exploited foreign aid loopholes.
Rep. Burchett: “Mr. Roman, are you aware that we are sending $40 million a week to the Taliban?”
Mr. Roman: “Yes, sir.”
Rep. Burchett: “Can you name other instances of foreign aid going to terrorist organizations?”
Mr. Roman: “We have assisted al-Shabaab in Somalia, there’s been instances of the Hamzi network in Sudan, HAMAS, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria, dozens of terror organizations have received indirect assistance from U.S. foreign aid.”
Rep. Burchett: “Could you elaborate a little bit on the mechanisms in place that are to stop foreign aid from going to terrorist groups and why they are not working, if we have any, in place?”
Mr. Roman: “Let’s use Gaza as our case study. $2.1 billion in American taxpayers’ money to Gaza since October 7th and Hamas invaded southern Israel. USAID money was going in terms of an emergency use authorization to try to give money to parties that USAID formerly had a relationship with in the Gaza Strip. They had to have been vetted by OFEK. They should be vetted against the special designated terrorist in the State Department and from other Treasury organizations. Waivers were granted because they said that there was an emergency use to have that money come in to Gaza, thereby jettisoning the usual typical screening procedures. As a result, 90% of aid that was going from the United States, by way of its agents in Gaza, ended up in Hamas controlled areas. And this is ridiculous. Essentially, what the U.S. assistance to Gaza did was underwrite the ability for Hamas to survive until the cease fire, which was passed a few weeks ago.”
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) called out USAID as a “disgraceful betrayal of the American taxpayer” for bankrolling programs that run counter to U.S. interests.
Rep. Burlison: “Real charity is an individual seeing a need, feeling the love in their heart, the compassion for their fellow man, digging money out of their own pocket and giving it to the people in need. Government charity, fake charity, is taking from somebody else and giving it to whoever you think you want to give it to. Let’s call this USAID program for what it actually is. It is a disgraceful betrayal of the American taxpayer. It’s all under the guise of being charity.
“But for years, the Democrats have turned USAID into their personal slush fund, funneling billions of our hard earned tax dollars into a cesspool of left wing propaganda, all masquerading under the guise of charitable aid. And what did we get for it? Not stronger allies, not safer borders, and hardly a dime’s worth for the American interest. No, we got absurdity for it. Taxpayer cash bankrolling climate activism, DEI that are frequently at odds with the values and the needs of the countries that we’re supposedly aiding. This isn’t aid. It’s a shake-down of our taxpayers courtesy of the left wing bureaucracy working with dark money networks.”
Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.) revealed evidence of unelected bureaucrats turning a blind eye when USAID recipients evaded the requirements of their taxpayer funded grant.
Rep. Jack: “Could you offer any other examples of mechanisms by which entities evade the transparency requirements? It’s something that we all talk about, and we’ve all seen the egregious spending across the board that’s been illuminated by many members of the committee over the last two weeks, but when it comes to evading some of these requirements, I want to speak directly to that.”
Mr. Roman: “There’s a bifurcation of the problem. One is the organizations, which are abusing U.S. taxpayer dollars, but the second is the bureaucrats who are allowing them to get away with it. Sometimes because they are not looking and are blind to the issue, other times because they’re intentionally pursuing an ideological agenda that Congress and appropriators authorize. You have to direct funding to have individuals that are getting money to be able to authorize that money. And the reports on the grants that they make after the funding period is over should also be publicly available rather than just how much money was spent. In addition to that, there are many other individuals and partnerships that go beyond USAID. For instance, foundations for supporting extremists, persistent lapses in sanctions enforcement, and also potential violations of U.S. criminal statutes.”
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) challenged the minority witness to explain the value in hiring based on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), particularly as it relates to U.S. federal foreign aid officials.
Rep. Gill: “Well, I would like to maybe challenge you, if really believe in promoting DEI. I’ve got about 20 seconds left then, in giving jobs to somebody based on their minority status or the color of their skin or their sexual proclivities, you might want to consider stepping down from your job and giving it to somebody who has more minority points than you do.”
Mr. Noam Unger: “Well, if that were what DEI is about, maybe I would…”
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