‘Bruising’ 1990s and Sept. 11 shape today’s USAID

The history of the U.S. Agency for International Development is rarely examined or celebrated, but America’s premier foreign aid agency has evolved as Washington’s foreign policy and fiscal priorities have shifted. Unbeknownst to many, back in the 1990s, Senator Jesse Helms and the U.S. Congress tried to abolish USAID and integrate it with the Department of State. Fending off the challenge but still battered, the agency suffered severe budget cuts, which triggered layoffs and major staff reductions through the latter part of the 1990s into the 21st century. Then 9/11 happened. Over the next decade, USAID funding more than tripled and direct hire staff increased by more than 66 percent. “There’s some important legacies from it,” said John Norris, executive director of the Sustainable Security and Peacebuilding Initiative at the Center for American Progress and author of the bipartisan report “Engagement Amid Austerity” as well as the controversial Foreign Policy magazine article titled, “Hired Gun Fight.” “I think the bruising experience of the 90s left USAID fairly risk-averse as a culture. They are used to being beat up by Congress,” he said. In this Devex Hangout, Norris also discussed some of the “megatrends” impacting U.S. diplomacy and international development, USAID’s push for modernization, procurement reform and localization, and the Obama administration’s global development record. Norris elaborated on U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well, and described how it has fundamentally changed the way America delivers assistance around the world. “I think that after Sept. 11, there was very wide recognition — particularly among Republicans in the United States — that the assistance programs had been allowed to decay too long and they were an instrumental part of our toolbox for international engagement,” Norris contended. “The experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, which started out I think initially quite bad for USAID, have forged some important learning experiences going forward.” Like what you’ve just read? This is just a sample of the news, insight and analysis we provide hundreds of Executive Members around the world. Executive Members are leaders in global development who are shaping and innovating the business of development to make the world a better place. Become a Devex Executive Member.