House subcommittee hears GAO and analysts on INL reauthorization, funding freeze and fentanyl risks

The Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the House Foreign Affairs Committee met to discuss reauthorization of the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the effects of recent freezes and cuts to INL programs.

Chairwoman Salazar opened the hearing criticizing recent INL program choices, saying the bureau's motto of "security through justice" had been replaced, during the past four years, by what she called "security through ideology." Ranking Member Castro countered that the subcommittee must guard against executive actions that cut congressionally established programs, warning that recent freezes and cancellations of foreign assistance had real, near-term consequences.

Chelsea Kenny, director for international affairs and trade at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), summarized GAO's recent findings: "INL could not demonstrate that it was achieving its goals because of gaps in its approach to performance management." Kenny said GAO has issued 16 recommendations since 2020 to…