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Committee presses State Department on USAID consolidation and Global Fragility Act implementation
Summary
Members asked how the department plans to carry out programs after USAID functions were moved into State, including who will implement the Global Fragility Act and whether regional bureaus will have capacity to absorb specialized offices and expertise.
Deputy Secretary Michael Regas told lawmakers the administration consolidated USAID foreign assistance implementation into the State Department as of July 1 and intends to make the department the lead agency for many assistance functions.
Regas said the change was intended to "better align our foreign aid with our foreign policy objectives" and that some offices, previously standalone, were merged into regional undersecretary portfolios such as the undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment. He said some functions will be executed at the regional bureau level and by posts overseas rather than by a separate implementing agency.
Committee members pressed how the department will continue to deliver on statutory obligations. Representative Jackson and others sought a detailed plan for how the department will implement the Global Fragility Act (GFA), which funds conflict-prevention programming and requires coordination, monitoring and evaluation. Regas said the regional bureaus would assume responsibilities but committee members objected that roughly 20 staff who had been dedicated to GFA implementation were among the personnel affected and asked for a written plan showing where expertise will reside.
Regas said the department had begun hiring or rehiring staff — including locally employed personnel and some former USAID staff — but acknowledged that legal constraints around reductions in force and rehiring procedures could affect the timing and who could be rehired. He promised to provide the committee with clarification in writing about which bureau or official will carry statutory responsibilities tied to GFA and other congressionally mandated programs.
Members also questioned whether the department had moved experienced staff with institutional knowledge into the regional bureaus before separations took effect; Regas said the regional offices work closely with functional offices and that the aim was to "empower our ambassadors and regional bureaus." Lawmakers asked for specific staffing plans and for assurances that statutory duties would be met.
