Foreign Aid and National Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, I rise in strong opposition to executive actions taken by the Trump administration to shut down U.S. foreign assistance and undermine America's national security.

Over the past two decades, I have led multiple bipartisan congressional delegations to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Somalia, and Gaza, as well as other conflict zones. These oversight missions have examined the implementation of U.S. foreign assistance firsthand, precisely because the security and humanitarian aid that we provide to our international partners is critical to advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy priorities around the world.

Recent executive actions taken by the Trump administration demonstrate a blatant disregard for the important role that foreign aid serves in keeping America, including American servicemembers who are deployed in these conflict zones, safe.

In the first major foreign policy action of his new term, President Trump issued an indiscriminate stop order, suspending U.S. foreign assistance for at least 3 months. That includes the suspension of security and military aid to Ukraine which is entering the fourth year of its fight for independence against the brutal and unlawful invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022. Our continued support for Ukraine is vital to the ability of the U.S. and our NATO allies to deter escalating Russian aggression across Europe.

The order also freezes aid to Taiwan which remains the target of Chinese military incursions that threaten peace and stability in a region where nearly 400,000 U.S. military and civil personnel are deployed in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. To make matters worse, the Trump administration has halted all mine removal programs led by the State Department in more than 125 countries.

During oversight visits to Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas where former battlefields are littered with antipersonnel explosive devices, I have directly observed the partnership between U.S. agencies and nongovernmental organizations such as The HALO Trust and the Lebanese Mine Action Center who work together to remove landmines, cluster munitions, and other ordnance for the safety of local populations and American diplomatic and military personnel.

This week, I will be introducing the Global Demining Protection Act, endorsed by The HALO Trust, to exempt demining programs from the ongoing ban on foreign aid.

Most recently, the Trump administration launched a full-scale attack on USAID, an independent agency duly established and annually funded by Congress. The fundamental mission of this agency and its global workforce of more than 10,000 dedicated employees is to promote stable democracies abroad in the interest of U.S. national security.

First, top USAID security officers were removed for rightfully refusing to grant billionaire Elon Musk and his so-called DOGE team access to sensitive personnel files and classified systems.

Next, President Trump attempted to place all directly hired USAID employees on administrative leave, including those who are deployed overseas.

Thankfully, a Federal district judge has issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the administration from placing employees on leave or evacuating them from overseas assignments. In Mr. Musk's words: ``USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.''

The agency that he is desperate to kill without congressional approval is one whose development mission in more than a hundred conflict countries is designed to prevent the root causes of global violence and extremism, including famine, civil war, and human rights abuses. That is why the nonpartisan American Foreign Service Association reports that development is the most important tool in our national security toolbox.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose these reckless actions in the interest of the safety and security of every American.

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