The U.S. Agency for International Development has responded to U.S. lawmakers’ concerns about its ability to deliver record amounts of humanitarian aid to address the global food crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter on Oct. 19, Jodi Herman, USAID’s assistant administrator for legislative and public affairs, outlined how the agency has spent billions of dollars from emergency funding packages provided by the Congress, while working to shore up a short-staffed humanitarian workforce.
The letter comes after Republican senators led by Joni Ernst, from Iowa, wrote to USAID Administrator Samantha Power in July and in September with concerns about the pace of the agency’s spending and doubts about the number of employees available to manage it. USAID sent its response to Ernst one day after Devex published an article describing significant staffing and morale problems inside USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
