House appropriations subcommittee presses oversight after USAID dismantling, warns of PEPFAR, humanitarian impacts

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs convened for a member hearing that focused on the reorganization of U.S. foreign assistance programs and the fiscal-year 2026 priorities for State and related accounts. Lawmakers from both parties warned that recent administration actions to fold or curtail agencies and programs have disrupted life-saving services and sparked legal and oversight disputes.

“Foreign assistance is not a handout. It's a strategy,” said Representative Lois Frankel, the subcommittee's ranking member, arguing that programs funded at less than 1% of the federal budget advance U.S. security and prosperity. Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, testified that the administration’s sudden freeze of foreign assistance “caused utter chaos,” saying clinics and food programs funded by congress sat idle and that courts are now being asked to decide the legality of the reorganization.

Why it matters: witnesses and members said the disruptions risk immediate humanitarian harm and broader strategic losses—partners and recipients may turn to China or Russia when U.S. assistance is unavailable, members said. Meeks and others described paused programs that provided vaccines, food, and HIV treatment; Representative Robin Kelly and others warned that pauses in PEPFAR services risk lives and local health-system capacity.

Members cited specific program and agency impacts. Meeks said, in testimony, that the administration has “folded” parts of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department and that other entities, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the U.S. Institute of Peace, have had grant terms or authorities terminated. Representative Kelly urged funding for global health programs at the fiscal 2024 enacted level, naming PEPFAR and the Global Fund as priorities and noting PEPFAR’s historic impact.

Several members gave examples of on-the-ground consequences. Representative Norma Torres described visits where USAID supplied equipment and training that protected victims and improved local response; she framed the agency’s personnel reductions as directly slowing U.S. humanitarian response. Members also pointed to recent crises—members referenced an emergency where ambassadors and partners expected a quicker U.S. response—and said gaps had allowed adversaries to expand influence.

Committee members raised agricultural and economic harms at home as well as abroad. Representative Jim Costa and others said cuts to programs and trade measures together have harmed U.S. agricultural exports and labor availability; Costa told the panel that the loss of foreign markets and disruptions in farm labor have tangible effects on U.S. farm income.

On Ukraine and regional security, members called the subcommittee’s assistance jurisdiction critical. Costa and others argued that diplomatic and economic assistance funded through the subcommittee helps sustain partner countries and deter adversaries; Meeks and other witnesses warned that pauses in aid could weaken allies’ resolve and purchasing of U.S. goods.

Several members called for prompt oversight. The chair noted a planned subcommittee hearing next week focused on PEPFAR’s successes and challenges; written statements were entered into the record for absent witnesses. No formal votes or policy changes were taken at the member hearing.

The hearing underscored a recurring theme: members said Congress must assert its appropriations and oversight prerogatives to ensure programs are executed in line with federal law and congressional intent. Multiple speakers emphasized litigation and required notifications as avenues they are pursuing or expecting to pursue.