Rifts on USAID, foreign assistance, laid bare at congressional hearing

A congressional hearing dubbed “USAID Betrayal” turned into a heated debate on Thursday as lawmakers were sharply divided on the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze, the demise of the agency, and past spending priorities.

Rep. Brian Mast, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs chair, exemplified one end of the spectrum. In his opening remarks, he stated, “We are here today, very simply, because many of the people, many of the programs at USAID have literally betrayed America. The programs that USAID and the State Department have spent money on are indefensible. They hurt America’s standing around the globe and I think the fact is clear that America would have been better off if their money had been simply thrown into a fireplace. Instead, the Biden administration spent on imposing their far left-wing ideology onto other nations.”

He also targeted NGOs, which he accused of “larceny” and of “swindling American taxpayers out of their money,” by alleging that they spend half of their grants on overhead rather than lifesaving programs.