Jonathan D. Salant photo
DeLauro (center) in her Capitol office, flanked by fellow Appropriations Committee Democrats Mike Quigley of Illinois, Betty McCollum of Minnesota, Lois Frankel of Florida and Ed Case of Hawaii.
(Washington) Rep. Rosa DeLauro, accompanied by other Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee, blasted President Donald Trump and his ally, Elon Musk, on Wednesday for taking an ax to the federal agency that provides food, vaccines, drinkable water, health care, and other humanitarian assistance to countries around the world.
They did so at a press conference held in DeLauro’s Capitol office in D.C., following two floor votes on unrelated rules and bills in Congress.
Trump and Musk are seeking to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which also has come under fire from authoritarian governments for supporting democracy, human rights, independent media and anti-corruption efforts.
USAID accounts for about 1 percent of the federal budget. DeLauro said it is protected by federal law and the president can not just close it and cut off its funding without congressional approval.
“It’s a constitutional crisis with unbelievably devastating effects on human lives,” DeLauro said.
As the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, DeLauro, of New Haven, is leading the effort in the House to prevent Trump and his allies from cutting programs and agencies they don’t like. Since Congress funds the government, it’s up to Congress to decide whether those programs continue, she said.
“We must stop this lawless administration in its tracks,” DeLauro said.
In one of his first acts as president, Trump issued an executive order cutting off foreign aid for a 90-day review to ensure that “no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the president.”
DeLauro said on Wednesday that the March 14 deadline for passing a new spending bill to keep the government open will give her party clout to demand that Trump gets congressional support before cutting programs funded by the House and Senate.
She said USAID was part of what she called “soft power,” compared with the “hard power” of the U.S. military, and abandoning that mission will drive countries into the hands of America’s enemies.
“The Trump agenda is not America First. Their agenda is America last,” DeLauro said. “When we retreat, China and Russia fill in the gaps. They are desperate to step into the void.”
The lawmakers combined their criticism of Trump’s actions with arguments that they are illegal.
“This is unprecedented, illegal and contrary to the Constitution,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland. “All the enemies of America are watching America retreat. We are going to leave a void that will undermine the security of America and Americans.”