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Senators, Secretary Rubio Clash Over USAID Contract Cancellations and Reported Health Toll
Summary
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee clashed over Secretary Rubio's rapid cancellations of USAID contracts and the administration's proposed cuts to global health programs. Rubio said he personally reviewed and canceled contracts; senators cited studies that estimate large increases in child deaths if programs were eliminated.
Senators pressed Secretary Rubio about rapid USAID contract cancellations and steep proposed cuts to global health accounts. Ranking member Senator Murray said the actions "created chaos" and accused the administration of impounding congressionally appropriated funds; Rubio said he personally reviewed contracts and approved cancellations.
Nut graf: The hearing focused on two linked controversies — the administration's reorganization that moved USAID functions and the immediate operational steps taken to cut or pause contracts — and whether those moves followed legal and congressional processes and what humanitarian effects will follow.
Senator Merkley described a weekend when USAID was "put into the woodchipper" and cited academic estimates of increased child deaths tied to reductions in programming. He recited figures from a public‑health modeling site and other studies: for example, a Boston School of Public Health estimate cited in the hearing listed tens of thousands of additional child deaths in near‑term scenarios. Rubio rejected the worst‑case assumptions as "not true," saying the estimates assume a near‑total freeze of U.S. aid that has not occurred.
Rubio told the committee he personally "went through contracts, literally spreadsheets, line by line" and that "the ones that I signed off on, yes" were his decisions. He defended targeting of programs he described as duplicative or inefficient and said the department intends to retain core global health work such as vaccines and PEPFAR treatment for HIV.
Several senators asked for detailed lists of canceled contracts and funding decisions; Rubio said he could provide the list of canceled contracts and would work with the committee on additional documentation. The committee did not vote on any measures. Senators warned that abrupt operational changes would risk lives and U.S. credibility; the secretary said the administration will seek to work with Congress on statutory reforms.
Ending: The hearing ended with senators demanding prompt, itemized information on canceled contracts, rescissions and the legal basis for actions; Rubio said the department would provide further details to the committee and that some programs would continue while the administration pursues reorganization and efficiency measures.
