The U.S. Congress this year is likely to share something in common with the roads of Nairobi, Bogota, and New Delhi: gridlock. But even amid the chaos, you’re normally headed somewhere, and for lawmakers, that’s likely a combination of more oversight and a focus on only the most critical global development-related legislation.
The first week of the new Congress was marked by a protracted drama surrounding who would be elected speaker of the House of Representatives. While that’s settled, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California has a very narrow GOP majority. In addition to the intraparty feuding in the House, having a divided Congress with Democrats controlling the Senate means it will likely be like pulling teeth to achieve much this year, experts say.
One of the key leadership changes is the chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee. Rep. Michael McCaul, who was the top Republican on the committee in the last Congress, has taken the gavel. McCaul has been a supporter of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, and global food security issues in the past — he co-sponsored last year’s Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act and the Global Food Security Act of 2022.
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
