Statement: Vice Ranking Member Gabe Amo Blasts Secretary Rubio’s Failure to Respond

Secretary Rubio missed Amo’s deadline to provide clarity on foreign aid, State Department, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) workforce

From The Office of Congressman Gabe Amo:

Vice Ranking Member Gabe Amo (RI-01) released the following statement in response to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s failure to respond to his previous letter requesting guidance on how aid organizations can use humanitarian waivers to access critical foreign aid.

“I asked Secretary Rubio to clarify the waiver process to avoid the continued chaos of this foreign aid freeze, but he did not respond by my deadline. The Trump-imposed waivers are only effective if there is clarity on how to use them, but he proved that the waivers are mostly empty promises,” said Congressman Gabe Amo, Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “Foreign aid helps remove land mines, support refugees, and alleviate global famine. It should never be held up for political posturing. The State Department must immediately rescind their ‘stop-work’ orders, provide clarity on the waiver process, fulfill commitments to existing contracts, restore key personnel who carry out this work, and end the chaos currently roiling the international non-profit community.”

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 to support malnourished children with Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs).