Republican blocks Senate resolution in support of USAID
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) blocked a resolution in the Senate that supported the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as the agency undergoes turmoil via the Trump administration.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) asked unanimous consent that the Senate agree to a resolution that affirmed USAID’s role in protecting the United States’ national security. Coons has more than 40 Democrats backing him on the bill.
Risch, the chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, objected to the measure and noted hard choices must be made to reduce the national debt.
“The idea of merging USAID and the State Department has been floated by nearly every administration since USAID was established by Congress in 1998,” Risch said on the Senate floor. “I’m supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to reform and restructure the agency in a way that better serves U.S. national security interests.”
Risch said he was supportive of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s plan to integrate the agency under the State Department and said he plans to work alongside him in consultation during the process.
In response, Coons highlighted the importance of the agency for the nation’s global standing and the aid it provides to various communities internationally. He also highlighted a point he and other lawmakers have presented over the last several days, which is that Congress has already appropriated funds for USAID, and it is now President Trump’s role to carry out that function.
“Why should we bother coming to an agreement on appropriations here in the Senate, pass a law, send it to the president, he signs it, and then in the next Congress and the next president, they can shut it down and claw it back?” Coons questioned.
The battle comes as officials from Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) have essentially shut down USAID. Several lawmakers have sounded the alarm about Musk’s influence over the federal government in the last several days.
Coons said he is hopeful that there would be a bipartisan agreement on continuing to support USAID investment. Still, it’s unclear if that would happen because “the unelected leader of DOGE,” Musk, has called for the agency to be shuttered entirely.
“My hope is that Secretary Rubio’s comments today on television about sustaining many of the critical functions of aid will win out, but I’m not confidence because it’s unclear to me who’s really driving this initiative,” Coons concluded.
-
House Republicans struggle to clinch budget resolution
Politico - 3d -
Does RFK Jr. have enough support from Republican senators?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expecting a committee vote that will determine his fate as the potential leader of the Department of Health and Human Services. CBS News' Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.CBS News - 9h -
Democrats blocked from entering USAID headquarters
A group of Senate and House Democrats were blocked from entering the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday. The Democratic lawmakers, who are opposed to ...The Hill - 9h -
Senate Democrat: Republicans 'really uncomfortable' with Gabbard nomination
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) says he's unsure about the fate of former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as director of national intelligence, casting doubt on her ability to garner enough ...The Hill - 3d -
Senate Democrats block GOP's ICC sanctions bill
Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked Republicans from advancing legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court, arguing the bill had sweeping consequences on allies and American ...The Hill - 6d -
Key Republican says he will support Gabbard as Trump DNI pick
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said in a Sunday interview that he will support President-elect Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii). In the ...The Hill - Jan. 13 -
Senate Republicans prepare blitzkrieg on Biden regulations
Senate Republicans, waiting for their House counterparts to figure out their strategy on border security and tax reform, are planning to use the Congressional Review Act to wage a lightning war on ...The Hill - Jan. 8 -
Republicans hold on to Virginia state Senate seat
Republican Luther Cifers defeated Democrat Jack Trammell in the special election for the state Senate's 10th District on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, maintaining Republicans’ grip on the ...The Hill - Jan. 8 -
Trump to meet with Senate Republicans on Wednesday
President-elect Trump will be on Capitol Hill on Wednesday at the invitation of Senate Republican leadership, according to three sources familiar with the invitation. GOP leaders haven’t released ...The Hill - Jan. 6
More from The Hill
-
Canadian lawmaker rips Trump for 51st state comments: ‘The man’s a liar’
Canadian Member of Parliament Charlie Angus criticized President Trump over his calls to make Canada the 51st state of America, calling the U.S. president “a liar.” Angus joined CNN’s Brianna ...The Hill - 1h -
Vance to take first foreign trip to France, Germany
Vice President Vance will travel to Europe next week for his first foreign trip since the inauguration, a VP spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. Vance will travel to the Artificial Intelligence ...The Hill - 2h -
Treasury Department sued over DOGE payment access
The Treasury Department was sued by a coalition of groups over the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) officials receiving access to the federal payment system for the federal government. ...The Hill - 2h -
Ex-GOP Rep. Charlie Dent calls shuttering of USAID ‘an egregious abuse of executive authority’
Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) criticized the Trump administration’s moves at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), saying it was an “egregious abuse of executive authority.” ...The Hill - 3h -
Senate tees up final vote on Pam Bondi AG nomination
The Senate on Monday teed up a final vote on Pam Bondi's nomination to lead the Justice Department. The chamber voted 52-46 to limit debate. Absent an agreement with Democrats, that puts a final ...The Hill - 4h
More in Politics
-
Canadian lawmaker rips Trump for 51st state comments: ‘The man’s a liar’
Canadian Member of Parliament Charlie Angus criticized President Trump over his calls to make Canada the 51st state of America, calling the U.S. president “a liar.” Angus joined CNN’s Brianna ...The Hill - 1h -
Vance to take first foreign trip to France, Germany
Vice President Vance will travel to Europe next week for his first foreign trip since the inauguration, a VP spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. Vance will travel to the Artificial Intelligence ...The Hill - 2h -
Treasury Department sued over DOGE payment access
The Treasury Department was sued by a coalition of groups over the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) officials receiving access to the federal payment system for the federal government. ...The Hill - 2h -
What is USAID, the foreign assistance agency Trump wants to shut down?
NBC News' Valerie Castro explains the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the impact it will have if President Trump succeeds in closing it.NBC News - 2h -
Ex-GOP Rep. Charlie Dent calls shuttering of USAID ‘an egregious abuse of executive authority’
Former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) criticized the Trump administration’s moves at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), saying it was an “egregious abuse of executive authority.” ...The Hill - 3h