In response to concerns expressed by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently acknowledged that its Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is understaffed, impacting the speed with which humanitarian aid is being distributed globally.
“I am pleased that USAID has recognized my concerns and is committed to addressing their staffing shortages,” Sen. Ernst said on Wednesday. “The agency’s response demonstrates how aggressive and effective congressional oversight can make important changes, in this case, helping U.S. humanitarian aid move more efficiently and protecting the American taxpayer.”
According to an Oct. 19 letter sent to Sen. Ernst from Jodi Herman, assistant administrator of the USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, USAID staff have been undertaking efforts to move an unprecedented amount of funding as efficiently, strategically, and responsibly as allowed, consistent with U.S. government law and policy.
“As you noted, the world is facing an unprecedented crisis. Nearly 200 million people around the world were food insecure at the start of this year, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left an additional 40 million people at risk of hunger,” Herman wrote in response to two letters Sen. Ernst sent on July 12 and Sept. 9.
Specifically, the senator’s oversight efforts in those letters focused on questions about how quickly USAID was allocating the $11 billion that it received from Congress and the internal distribution of contracting officers (COs) for the BHA, which is handling the broader Ukrainian humanitarian response.
To date, USAID has spent roughly 62 percent of the emergency supplemental appropriations that Congress provided, well below the agency’s own goal of spending 75 percent of the appropriated funds, according to Sen. Ernst.
“There is no question that BHA staffing, and associated CO support, has not kept pace with the growth in humanitarian budgets,” wrote Herman. “In recognition of this issue, one of the administrator’s top priorities is to address longstanding issues in the USAID workforce, reflected in the increase in personnel in USAID budget requests to Congress.”
“Adding a few additional contracting officers is a start, but with the recent surge in funding and ongoing humanitarian crisis, the agency still lags behind,” said Sen. Ernst in her statement. “I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that USAID is fulfilling its obligation to effectively and wisely steward hardworking taxpayers’ dollars.”