Amid the pressure to reform U.S. foreign assistance, a testy moment on the Hill may offer a preliminary glimpse of the upcoming clash between Congress and many members of the U.S. development community.
At a Feb. 25 hearing of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on state and foreign operations, Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) shared an exchange with James Kunder, who served as acting deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development until January.
Kunder stated that the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act defines development as a tool of foreign policy but also affirms that "we are essentially doing this because we are good-hearted and want to keep starving people alive."
But he said that this mission is undermined by congressional "earmarks" (did he mean budget line-items?) that allow little leeway for the agency to spend funds.
"At the end of the day, the very bright officers that we send out are torn in a hundred different directions," he said. "If we were a corporation, we would have gone out of business a long time ago."
Kunder also criticized FAA restrictions on USAID shifting resources between priority sectors. He gave the example of a plan developed in the field, which promises to eradicate illiteracy within twenty years. USAID headquarters would have to reject the plan, according to Kunder, essentially telling its field staff, "I'm sorry, would you like some AIDS money or malaria money? 'Cause that's all we have."
Thomas Pickering, a former undersecretary of state for political affairs, chimed in with additional advice for the subcommittee: "Don't change the priorities every five years."
Lowey remained unconvinced, saying she is "frankly astonished" that Kunder cited the FAA as a main cause of the agency's problems. While reiterating that she is not necessarily opposed to rewriting the FAA, she stated that she does not believe USAID needs new statutory authority to effectively manage different priorities. She pointed out that as a congresswoman, she herself sits on several committees and is able to handle many issues simultaneously.
"Life is complicated," she said. "It's hard for me to believe that you need an FAA to determine goals and priorities to get the job done."
