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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 assistance blocked in Syria into the record.
Witnesses described three, related shortfalls: an administrative stop‑work order preventing funds from being disbursed even where waivers exist; the loss of career USAID staff who provide technical oversight and program continuity; and the absence of mechanisms to transition services if U.S. programs remain paused.
Ms. Stroll said dismantling USAID personnel and halting programs risks losing expertise "in implementing U.S. programs and the delicate work of engaging post conflict countries." She and Michael Singh urged an expedited interagency review — described in testimony as a 90‑day review of assistance and sanctions waivers — so humanitarian and stabilization work can resume under robust oversight.
Senators also stressed the national security consequences tied to the aid pause. Shaheen and other senators warned that assistance supports detention‑camp security and stabilization programs in areas liberated from ISIS, both of which reduce the risk that extremist groups will reconstitute.
Committee members pressed for near‑term administrative steps, including tailored waivers to permit humanitarian and detention‑security support and to allow trusted international and regional partners to carry out stabilization work. The hearing record contains multiple requests that the administration accelerate waivers and clarify compliance measures so NGOs and implementing partners can restart activity safely.
No formal committee action was taken at the hearing; senators said they will continue oversight and encouraged prompt executive follow‑through on waivers and funding decisions.
