House Foreign Affairs hearing probes USAID reorganization and funding pause amid partisan fight

Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee pressed for a rapid review and reorganization of the U.S. Agency for International Development on Thursday, saying a broad pause and personnel changes are needed to stop waste and ideological programming they said betrayed U.S. interests abroad. Democrats and career officials warned the freeze is disrupting life‑saving programs and asked for clearer procedures to restart approved assistance.

The hearing opened with the chairman calling USAID a ‘‘betrayal’’ of American taxpayers and listing grant examples he said showed ideological mission creep. "The programs that USAID and the State Department has spent money on are indefensible," the chairman said, adding the committee would publicize videos and documents showing alleged waste. Ranking Member Gregory Meeks countered that removing career staff and firing the agency inspector general raises the risk of waste, fraud and abuse, and urged the committee to summon administration witnesses for direct answers.

The dispute centers on a recent executive action and implementation by the administration that placed a broad pause on many foreign assistance payments and ordered a review of USAID programming. Committee…