WASHINGTON – Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), released the following statement after Secretary Rubio announced “officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID”:

Anyone who is serious about our international assistance should be serious about reform and ensuring our aid delivers results for the American people. Yet, I can’t imagine Congress is comfortable with a rushed review process cancelling 83% of programs that they themselves have championed over decades – a process that wasn’t transparent or open to meaningful bipartisan consultation.

The facts show that life-saving programs were severely cut, putting millions of people at risk of starvation, disease, and death.

China, Russia, Iran and our other rivals are already filling the vacuum that we have created by shuttering too much of our global footprint. We can surgically cut wasteful spending while playing offense and defense to keep America’s economy number one, avoid costly wars, and stop threats before they reach our shores.

This is an important moment for our elected officials in Congress to ensure we preserve the infrastructure of U.S. international assistance that is so deeply in our own strategic interest.

For more resources on U.S. international assistance, please visit our Rapid Response Hub.