Questions to Ask about Aid from USAID

The US Government Agency that Brings Aid – USAID

USAID, started in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy.  Estimates are that some 3 billion people in 150 countries have benefited directly from U.S. food assistance      . The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, a part of USAID, identifies food aid      needs in close consultation with foreign governments     .

A common misperception is that the US spends a large percentage of its budget on foreign aid. In reality, it is less than 1% and is widely seen within government as providing some of the most bang for the buck in terms of its return.

The US Administration is asking some good questions of programs across the US government– is this right for America, are we kept safer, does it promote US interests?

As things are continuing to move quickly     , there are some broader questions to ask about USAID in regards to the new administration’s direction.  For example:

• Are all or most the USAID programs harming US interests?
• How does humanitarian aid – the supplying of food, water, medicines and other life saving measures – improve the lives of peoples in nearly 130 countries? Is the withdrawal of this aid make us more or less American? That is, does humanitarian aid reflect our values and support to people and countries in need? Is humanitarian aid promoting US interests?
• Will the abrupt withdrawal of humanitarian aid programs worldwide cause countries to trust America more or less in the future?
• How will this impact the hundreds of non-profit, non-governmental organizations who have been working with USAID, their operations, their staff and American volunteers, their reach to the most vulnerable, if their resources are cut?
• Are we more or less safe? Does the trust that other countries have in the USA matter in terms of the overall safety of Americans? Will our adversaries step in and develop relationships with those foreign people’s trust we now might have lost?

These are important and forward-looking questions that should be addressed by government and law makers at this critical time. There are a number of other such questions we should ask.

The good work of USAID in over 100 countries worldwide merits immediate attention and fair review.

Margie Ferris Morris

Former Chairman of the Board, World Hunger Education Service

(Margie worked for decades in the field, as a nutritionist and food expert and has taught about international aid frequently including Tulane and George Washington Universities.