Rhode Island Congressman Amo: “USAID Didn’t Betray Us, Trump Betrayed Our Nation”
Following President Trump’s Illegal Dismantling of USAID, Vice Ranking Member Amo Advocates for the Agency’s Essential Work at Home and Abroad
From The Office of Rhode Island Congressman Gabe Amo:
Today, Vice Ranking Member Gabe Amo (RI-01) called out the irony of the House Committee on Foreign holding a hearing titled “the USAID Betrayal” when in fact USAID is being betrayed by President Trump’s actions. Beyond turning our backs on our international community that relies on USAID, Congressman Amo argued that Trump is also betraying the American farmers, businesses, organizations, and universities who worked with USAID now left without the payments they are owed. Additionally, Congressman Amo explained that removing USAID amongst an Ebola outbreak in Uganda leaves the American people at risk of the disease spreading to our shores.
“It’s ironic that this hearing is called ‘the USAID Betrayal,’ because Donald Trump betrayed USAID. He betrayed the agency’s mission and its employees, betrayed the American workers and businesses supported by USAID contracts, and betrayed the starving children who rely on food from USAID to stave off hunger,” said Congressman Amo, Vice Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Whether from lack of medical attention or from starvation or mass firings, more people will suffer because of Trump’s betrayal and Republicans’ silence.”
WATCH VICE RANKING MEMBER AMO’S REMARKS HERE
BACKGROUND
On January 31, 2025, Vice Ranking Member Amo sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing concern that the waivers announced by Secretary Rubio for humanitarian assistance did not provide clarity for aid organizations and contributed to the confusion caused by the foreign aid freeze. The letter requested a plan for how aid organizations should interpret the waiver by February 7, 2025. Secretary Rubio did not respond to this request, nor did he provide any guidance by this deadline.
As Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Amo has advocated for essential humanitarian aid through USAID to support malnourished children with Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs).
REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Mr. Chairman, it’s ironic that this hearing is called “The USAID Betrayal,” because Donald Trump betrayed USAID.
He betrayed the agency’s mission and its employees.
He betrayed the American workers and businesses supported by USAID contracts.
And he betrayed the literal starving children who rely on food from USAID to stave off hunger.
I’d like to highlight a few of the groups that Republicans are leaving out in the cold with this freeze.
Let’s start with the USAID employees – AMERICANS – around the world.
They feel abandoned by our government, saying “We have lost contact with Washington. We are on our own.”
Some USAID employees, again AMERICANS, have been forced to flee the country where they worked after protests over frozen aid turned violent.
What does it say about us when we turn our backs on our own citizens, these global helpers, who were just doing their job?
But the betrayal extends to every American worker who relies on USAID — including American farmers, manufacturers, and universities.
In my state, the University of Rhode Island works with USAID to improve aquatic food systems and fight food insecurity.
Or should I say worked with USAID.
Right now, the university is unable to access nearly $300,000 they are owed.
Let me repeat, universities are being stiffed for work they completed before the funding freeze.
What kind of government refuses to pay its debts? One led by a five-time bankrupt billionaire I suppose.
But of all the people affected, the worst impacts of this betrayal fall on the those who rely on USAID for food and medical care.
People are already dying because of the aid freeze. Yesterday we learned that a 71-year-old woman in Thailand died because the aid freeze cut off her oxygen supply and access to care.
Whether from lack of medical attention or from starvation, more people WILL DIE because of Trump’s decision and the Republican’s silence.
It’s mind-boggling. This food aid was funded — some of it was already purchased — and it is ready to feed starving people.
As this inspector general report finds, USAID stop-work orders jeopardized nearly $500 million in food assistance — leaving 500,000 metric tons of American-grown food at risk of spoiling.
If DOGE wants to eliminate waste, it can start with the life-saving food that is literally rotting in our ports because of Trump’s betrayal.
This administration has failed us. It compromised our national security.
Adversaries, like China and Russia, are salivating at our retreat. They are reaching out to our allies and partners to undermine our work around the world.
Republicans are abandoning global health work. An insane decision after the recent global pandemic.
Right now, there is a deadly Ebola outbreak in Uganda, where more than a dozen Americans are exposed to this fatal virus. But the United States is nowhere to be found.
I worked on President Obama’s response to Ebola when I worked at the White House in 2014.
The number one lesson from the pandemic playbook is that we must contain the virus before it kills more people and makes its way to the United States. It is in our best interest to get involved.
