"It's my belief that the incoming administration has chosen USAID...to curb-stomp it to death as a way to send a message to the rest of the federal bureaucracy." -- Michael Schiffer

As Washington DC is in turmoil over the drastic changes to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Jim and Ray welcome its former Asia Bureau Assistant Administrator Michael Schiffer to explain what exactly USAID does and the potential impacts of these changes.

Michael argues that USAID is not just a charity organization but plays a crucial role in supporting U.S. foreign policy. Established in 1961 during the height of the Cold War, he explains that USAID has long been considered essential for America’s national security.

Against charges that USAID’s budget lacks oversight, Michael describes the agency’s bipartisan congressional oversight process. He also explains how the once fully independent agency was legislatively rolled into the State Department in the late 1990s, though still with some degree of operational autonomy.

While agreeing that a thoughtful review of the USAID structure and budget is called for, he contends that the current pause in USAID funding creates a vacuum for other nations–particularly China–to exploit by moving quickly to backfill the gaps in support left by American absence. This allows Beijing to say that America is an unreliable partner.

Follow Michael Schiffer at his page at Justsecurity.

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