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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE DEATHLY IMPACT OF USAID CUTS ON GLOBAL HEALTH
WHEREAS, in 1998, Congress established the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a functionally independent executive agency through the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act; and
WHEREAS, under this Act, President Bill Clinton reorganized USAID, which retained its independence from the U.S. Department of State, with its administrator reporting to and being under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State; and
WHEREAS, U.S. citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID, around just $64 per year; and
WHEREAS, a study co-authored by a UCLA Fielding School of Public Health found that USAID-supported programs were associated with a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 32% reduction in mortality among children under the age of 5 between 2001 and 2021; and
WHEREAS, in countries receiving high levels of support, mortality from HIV/AIDS was reduced by 74%, malaria by 53%, and other tropical diseases by 51%; and
WHEREAS, the study estimates that more than 91 million deaths were prevented between 2001 and 2021, of which approximately 30 million were children; and
WHEREAS, under President George W. Bush, Congress passed the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act in 2003, creating the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and help save the lives of those suffering from the disease; and
WHEREAS, PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, enabled by strong bipartisan support across ten U.S. congresses and four presidential administrations; and
WHEREAS, per its authorizing statute, PEPFAR is overseen by a U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator – a Senate-confirmed position appointed by the President and holding the rank of ambassador – at the State Depar...
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