In April, Gayle Smith was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama to serve as the next administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the world’s largest bilateral development agency. But she must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before taking on the role, and sources close to the process tell Devex that Smith’s confirmation is in trouble.
The pushback stems from a questionnaire Smith filled out for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Included was a query about the Helms amendment, a four-decade piece of legislation sponsored by the late Sen. Jesse Helms that prohibits the use of foreign aid dollars for abortion-related programming. Smith’s reply was, according to sources who wish to remain confidential due to sensitive ongoing negotiations, seen by Republican senators as noncommittal.
“We were all set and submitted all the questions for the record,” Susan Reichle, counselor to USAID, told Devex. “Then some questions were raised about the Helms amendment, and so it was postponed and that’s what we’re waiting on, for another business meeting before the recess [next month].”