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Lawmakers, Witnesses Say USAID Freeze and Staff Cuts Are Halting Life‑Saving Syria Aid
Summary
Senators and witnesses told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that a freeze on U.S. foreign assistance and reductions in USAID staff have stopped most humanitarian and stabilization programs in Syria, undermining counterterrorism and accountability efforts and risking the reconstitution of extremist groups.
Senators at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing and two expert witnesses said a freeze on U.S. foreign assistance, combined with staff cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has largely halted humanitarian and stabilization programs in Syria.
"Not only have these efforts meant cutting off programs to educate women and girls and help the very basic needs like delivering babies, they've directly undermined efforts to combat ISIS," Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen said, asking the committee to enter a summary on…
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