{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://doggett.house.gov/media/press-releases/doggett-van-hollen-demand-answers-flexible-foreign-aid-funds", "Doggett, Van Hollen Demand Answers on \u201cFlexible\u201d Foreign Aid Funds", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Lloyd Doggett", "D000399", "doggett.house.gov", "doggett", "https://doggett.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Contact: Luis Botello Faz\n\n202-494-4620\n\nWashington, D.C.\u2014Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) led colleagues in requesting immediate answers from State Secretary Marco Rubio regarding the Trump Administration\u2019s approach to U.S. foreign assistance. They were joined by 120 House members and 5 Senators. After shuttering USAID and rescinding most of its funding, the Trump Administration had $1.8 billion in remaining appropriated funds to which it has sought a $2.9 billion addition to establish the America First Opportunity Fund for \u201cflexible\u201d foreign aid spending. This would purportedly be used toward vaguely defined initiatives advancing Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda.\n\n\u201cSince the Administration has refused to provide a meaningful explanation as to how these foreign aid funds are being used, we are seeking answers to provide the oversight that this Republican Congress refuses to provide,\u201d said Rep. Doggett. \u201cTaxpayer dollars should not be used as a slush fund to reward Trump's billionaire friends and political allies while pursuing his latest whim. Let\u2019s assure that there really is no waste, fraud, and abuse.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump illegally rescinded billions of previously appropriated foreign aid dollars and is currently sitting on nearly $2 billion in unspent funds for foreign assistance, after taking a chainsaw to USAID and our international development architecture. And yet, his Administration has asked Congress for nearly $3 billion more for vaguely defined so-called \u2018America First\u2019 initiatives. Given this Administration\u2019s track record and Congress\u2019s power of the purse, we need answers on how they intend to use these taxpayer dollars,\u201d said Senator Chris Van Hollen.\n\nIn the letter, the Members wrote, \u201cAfter the Administration justified its dismantling of USAID to eliminate \u2018waste, fraud, and abuse,\u2019 it may be creating an unaccountable foreign aid system highly susceptible to the very corruption it claimed to have addressed\u2026It is critical that Congress maintain effective oversight over the world\u2019s largest foreign aid budget that encompasses vital national security priorities like military assistance, arms agreements, and counterterrorism efforts.\u201d The letter seeks answers regarding the reallocation of USAID funds and the proposed America First Opportunity Fund.\n\nToday\u2019s full letter can be read here.\n\nThe letter is cosigned by Cory Booker (NJ), Andy Kim (NJ), Jeff Merkley (OR), Bernard Sanders (VT), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Suzzane Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Andr\u00e9 Carson (IN-07), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jason Crow (CO-06), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jes\u00fas Garc\u00eda (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Al Green (TX-09), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), William Keating (MA-09), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Susie Lee (NV-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John Mannion (NY-22), Doris Matusi (CA-07), Sarah McBride (DL-AL), James McGovern (MA-02), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Darren Soto (FL-09), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY-03), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Derek Tran (CA-45), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vazquez (NM-02), Marc A. Veasey (Tx-33), Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (NY-07), James Eugene Simon Vindman (VA-07), Walkinshaw (VA-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05)\n\nFull text below:\n\nWe write regarding the Administration\u2019s actions over U.S. foreign aid, including the State Department\u2019s plans to reallocate nearly $2 billion that Congress had appropriated for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) toward vaguely defined initiatives aimed to advance President Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda. This follows the Administration\u2019s request to establish the $2.9 billion America First Opportunity Fund (A1OF) for \u201cflexible\u201d foreign aid spending in May, despite its appeal that Congress rescind $8.3 billion in previously appropriated foreign aid in June and unilateral cancellation of $5 billion in foreign aid already signed into law in August. Given the Administration\u2019s pledge to eliminate \u201cwaste, fraud, and abuse\u201d in U.S. foreign aid, we request more information on the potential transformation of these Congressional budget accounts into multi-billion-dollar funds that your Department has argued \u201cmake America safer, stronger, and more prosperous\u201d without providing any further explanation.\n\nThe Department\u2019s September 12 notification to Congress outlines that the $1.8 billion previously appropriated for programs implemented by USAID would instead be obligated for State Department-run programs, including countering \u201cMarxist, anti-American regimes\u201d in Latin America, supporting \u201cU.S. immigration priorities\u201d in Africa, and \u201ceconomic development and conservation work\u201d in Greenland. Meanwhile, the cancellation of at least $19 million in emergency food assistance for famine-stricken Sudan and $27 million to counter deadly infectious disease in the conflict-afflicted Democratic Republic of Congo risks infectious disease outbreaks and global conflict that endanger Americans, running counter to the President\u2019s stated mission.\n\nThe President\u2019s FY2026 Budget Request to Congress indicated the A1OF would utilize $2.9 billion to \u201cfocus on strategic investments that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous\u201d and fund \u201cnew activities to strengthen America\u2019s national security priorities.\u201d Unlike previous Congressional Budget Justifications, it did not specify what those activities would be nor the amount of funding allocated for each activity. The Administration suggested the A1OF could be used for initiatives as varied as U.S. contributions to the United Nations; international peacekeeping; international security assistance; loan guarantees; global disease outbreaks; or anything else the President deems necessary.\n\nAfter the Administration justified its dismantling of USAID to eliminate \u201cwaste, fraud, and abuse,\u201d it may be creating an unaccountable foreign aid system highly susceptible to the very corruption it claimed to have addressed. Considering our constitutional responsibility to serve as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we request your prompt answers to the following questions by December 30.\n\nRegarding the reallocation of USAID funds:\n\n1. Knowing that the $1.8 billion had to be obligated by September 30, did the Administration have a plan for what specifically to fund before it abruptly cancelled USAID programs in July?\n\n2. Regarding the $1.8 billion obligated by September 30, please provide an itemized list of every country and/or organization that is receiving funding, the amount, and the purpose.\n\n3. What specific activities will be supported by funding dedicated to \u201c[confronting] the Marxist, anti[1]American regimes of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua\u201d?\n\n4. What specific activities will be supported by funding dedicated to \u201cU.S. immigration priorities\u201d in Africa? Will this include deporting third-country nationals from the United States to African countries?\n\nRegarding the A1OF:\n\n1. Who is the individual responsible for recommending to you any awards?\n\n2. What governs the agreements under the A1OF? Will there be a competitive, open process for making awards? Will these be contracts, grants, or compacts?\n\n3. What policies or procedures are being developed to ensure that A1OF funds will be administered with internal control standards comparable to those in place for foreign assistance programming prior to January 2025?\n\n4. The A1OF proposal references investment funds. How do you classify waste, fraud, or abuse under an investment fund? What are the reporting requirements for these funds?\n\n5. How will A1OF funding be monitored in conflict zones? How and to whom will waste, fraud, or abuse be reported?\n\n6. The A1OF proposal directly references India and Jordan as potential funding recipients. What other countries are being considered, and under what criteria?\n\n7. Are you consulting with local organizations and communities in deciding which projects to fund?\n\n8. If funds are to be invested via private firms, how do you ensure for-profit programs are not advantaged over nonprofit programs?\n\n9. What are the criteria used in awarding funds?\n\n10. What are the branding and marking requirements under the agreements that indicate that funding was provided by the U.S.?\n\nIt is critical that Congress maintain effective oversight over the world\u2019s largest foreign aid budget that encompasses vital national security priorities like military assistance, arms agreements, and counterterrorism efforts. We look forward to your prompt responses justifying where, why, and how the Administration intends to spend billions of taxpayer dollars around the world.\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-13T06:12:22Z", "2026-05-13T06:13:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://doggett.house.gov/media/press-releases/doggett-van-hollen-demand-answers-flexible-foreign-aid-funds"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.787623856216669, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}