US Congress who's who for foreign aid in 2023

The roster is set for the congressional leaders with the greatest influence to determine policy and provide funding to the United States’ development priorities in the 118th Congress, which runs through 2024. While some high-profile programs are up for reauthorization, it is expected to be a slow year for development legislation. This year there were a number of key retirements and departures that mean fresh leadership in some areas, but in the top policy committees — the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee — familiar faces remain. In the House of Representatives, the ranking Republican and Democrat have swapped spots after Republicans won control of the chamber, but otherwise, the lawmakers in charge remain the same. One thing to expect from a Republican House is a major push for spending cuts, including for foreign aid, and development advocates will be watching how new leadership on the subcommittee responsible for the foreign assistance budget will shape the debate. In general, it is not expected to be a robust year for development legislation outside of some high-profile reauthorizations including the Farm Bill and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. In the House, Republicans will ramp up oversight efforts and foreign policy discussions about the war in Ukraine, and global policy and economic competition with China are likely to dominate. While they often focus on domestic issues, there are two committees that will also play a key role in development issues this year. With World Bank reforms in the spotlight, it’s worth keeping an eye on the House Financial Services Committee. And with the Farm Bill — which governs global food aid programs — up for reauthorization, the House and Senate Agriculture committees are also worth keeping an eye on. Here’s a look at who’s in charge: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair: Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey What to know: Menendez will continue to lead the committee. In an early hearing during this Congress, he made clear that competition with China, including in the Western hemisphere, would be a priority. He recently reintroduced the Syria Detainee and Displaced Persons Act, which would create a senior coordinator to manage a “whole-of-government effort” to address growing humanitarian and security concerns at detainee and displaced persons camps in Syria. He is also a co-sponsor of the End Tuberculosis Now Act, a bipartisan bill to make eliminating TB a U.S. foreign assistance priority. He recently called on the State Department and United States Agency for International Development to guarantee access to healthcare services for women employees abroad. Menendez and ranking member Sen. James Risch, a Republican from Idaho, have historically had a strained relationship. But this year they joined forces on statements criticizing the military coup in Myanmar and calling for transparent and peaceful elections in Nigeria. They have already said there is likely to be common ground on legislation related to Chinese competition, which could include aid agencies, especially the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. How they work together, especially on the pace of nomination hearings and votes, is one key issue to watch. A Democratic majority should make it easier to push through appointments including that of Geeta Rao Gupta, the nominee for Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues at the State Department who was first nominated back in 2021. New members: Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois; Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Republican from Nebraska; and Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina. Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair: Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington Murray takes over the top job following the retirement of Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, considered by development experts to be a champion for the aid budget. Murray doesn’t have the same background as Leahy — who for many years served on the state and foreign operations appropriations subcommittee, but experts said she is generally supportive of development issues. How she prioritizes development funding in a supercharged and difficult budget cycle remains unclear. Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, will be the top Republican on the committee. New: Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan; Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska; and Sen. Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chair: Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware Coons, who has been a consistent champion of foreign aid and development issues, will continue in this role. Coons was instrumental in passing the BUILD Act, which authorized DFC. His interest dates back to his college days when he wrote his senior thesis about U.S. foreign aid in Africa after spending a semester studying at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He has already proven outspoken on the foreign affairs budget. In a rare move, Coons criticized funding levels in the final budget package for the fiscal year 2022, after last-minute negotiations resulted in cuts and a funding level he said fell short of the needs to meet current crises. “The SFOPS account is not a piggy bank that can be raided by appropriation accounts,” he said at the time. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, is the top Republican on the subcommittee, a post he’s held for some time. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair: Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas McCaul has made clear that he will focus on competition with China, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and an investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal by U.S. troops. Expect the committee and the new subcommittee on oversight to investigate. Scrutiny of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan could be a good thing if it stays focused on how to improve aid and doesn’t fall victim to political grandstanding, some development experts say. McCaul has been a supporter of PEPFAR and global food security issues — he co-sponsored last year’s Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act and the Global Food Security Act of 2022. At a recent committee hearing, he expressed support for PEPFAR reauthorization and said the committee would address root causes of migration, including helping increase American investment in Central and South America. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York, is the ranking member of the committee. He and McCaul traded compliments at a recent hearing and indicated they would like to work together despite partisan tensions. Notable: The Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations will have Rep. Christopher H. Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, as the chair and Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, as the ranking member. The subcommittee on Africa will have new leadership with Rep. John James, a freshman Republican congressman from Michigan as chairman, and Rep. Sara Jacobs, of California, who has previously worked at the State Department and UNICEF, will be the top Democrat. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas, who served as the chair of the now eliminated Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations, and Global Corporate Social Impact in the last Congress will be the top Democrat on the subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Republican of Florida, will chair that subcommittee. House Committee on Appropriations Chair: Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas Granger, who takes the gavel after many years as the ranking member of the committee, is no stranger to development issues. She has served as chair of the House appropriations subcommittee for state and foreign operations in the past. Granger has often tied her support of development issues closely to U.S. national security. Former USAID administrator Rajiv Shah, who now leads the Rockefeller Foundation, once described her as a “champion for global health,” and said she deserves much credit for “ensuring that USAID is playing a key role in protecting our national security.” Still, while she may support development issues, initial House budget proposals may include deep cuts to foreign aid funding, a Republican lobbyist told Devex. Granger helped fend off aid cuts in the past, but has said that she doesn’t believe the double-digit increases requested by the Biden administration are merited, the lobbyist said. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, is the top Democrat on the committee. She served as the chair in the last Congress when Democrats had the majority. State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee Chair: Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida Díaz-Balart is new to the top job on this subcommittee. He is outspoken about his desire to end “out-of-control government spending” and has said he wants to strengthen oversight and cut unnecessary spending. He said in a recent interview with Roll Call that savings can be found everywhere and his priorities are ensuring that money goes to priority areas and is spent wisely. “I’m just starting,” Díaz-Balart said in the interview. “My intention is to scrub every program, every agency, every area to make sure that we are spending the money where it needs to be spent, and that we are spending it as efficiently as possible.” He plans to put forward an “aggressive” budget proposal for the United Nations and has indicated that funding for the U.N. Human Rights Council should be cut. Díaz-Balart has also said that supplemental appropriations funding bills should only be used to provide emergency spending and not funding for long-term humanitarian needs. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, will serve as the top Democrat on the subcommittee. House Financial Services Chair: Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina It’s worth keeping an eye on the House Financial Services Committee because it has jurisdiction over the World Bank and other international financial institutions. As the World Bank moves forward with reforms, and potentially asks for another capital increase, support from these lawmakers will be key. McHenry recently reintroduced legislation aimed at bringing back financing for nuclear power at the World Bank and other international financial institutions. He has also formed a Republican working group to “combat the threat to our capital markets posed by those on the far-left pushing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) proposals.” A rule proposed by the Biden administration to compel companies to report on climate risk is likely to be a topic of debate. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, has been outspoken in the past about concerns that the World Bank wants to focus more on private investment in low-income countries. She threatened to withhold support for a previous capital increase unless the bank was more transparent. Notable: Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Missouri, chair of the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, has already weighed in on World Bank reform. He sent a detailed letter to a top Treasury official earlier this month raising a series of questions about the World Bank’s reform roadmap and urged the department to engage with the committee.