[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID FY 2018 AFRICA BUDGET
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH,
GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
OCTOBER 11, 2017
__________
Serial No. 115-85
__________
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California
DANA ROHRABACHER, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
JOE WILSON, South Carolina GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
TED POE, Texas KAREN BASS, California
DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina AMI BERA, California
MO BROOKS, Alabama LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
PAUL COOK, California TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
RON DeSANTIS, Florida ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
TED S. YOHO, Florida DINA TITUS, Nevada
ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois NORMA J. TORRES, California
LEE M. ZELDIN, New York BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois
DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr., ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
Wisconsin TED LIEU, California
ANN WAGNER, Missouri
BRIAN J. MAST, Florida
FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
Amy Porter, Chief of Staff Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director
Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director
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Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and
International Organizations
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman
MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina KAREN BASS, California
DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York AMI BERA, California
F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr., JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
Wisconsin THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
C O N T E N T S
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Page
WITNESSES
The Honorable Donald Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau
of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State................... 4
Ms. Cheryl Anderson, Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau for
Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development.............. 12
LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING
The Honorable Donald Yamamoto: Prepared statement................ 7
Ms. Cheryl Anderson: Prepared statement.......................... 15
APPENDIX
Hearing notice................................................... 38
Hearing minutes.................................................. 39
Written responses from the Honorable Donald Yamamoto to questions
submitted for the record by:
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in
Congress from the State of New Jersey, and chairman,
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights,
and International Organizations.............................. 40
The Honorable Ami Bera, a Representative in Congress from the
State of California.......................................... 52
Written responses from Ms. Cheryl Anderson to questions submitted
for the record by:
The Honorable Christopher H. Smith............................. 57
The Honorable Ami Bera......................................... 66
THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID FY 2018 AFRICA BUDGET
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,
Global Human Rights, and International Organizations,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:00 p.m., in
room 2200 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H.
Smith (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Smith. The subcommittee will come to order and good
afternoon to everybody. Thank you for being here.
I really deeply appreciate our two distinguished witnesses
who are here today to give us an inside look at the budget as
it relates to Africa and where the challenges are and where
funding will potentially increase.
As you know, the appropriations budget that has passed the
House clearly indicates that there were some differences of
opinion as to how much and where we should be spending that
money. And I think we have come to a consensus, at least on the
Republican side, that extraordinary, important programs like
PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a
number of the refugee programs, and a whole lot of other
programs that deal with infectious diseases like tuberculosis
need to be funded in a very robust way in order to save lives
and to mitigate dangers, especially to women and children.
We also have a very strong commitment on this committee and
from our leaders from the State Department ensuring that
refugees in a world where we have more refugees and IDPs
perhaps than ever before, and disproportionately in sub-Saharan
Africa, that we ensure that the resourcing is there from food
to medicine to shelter.
Just recently, in June, Ranking Member Karen Bass and I did
visit some of the refugee camps including Bidi Bidi Camp and
had a very important take away that our food security, that
money that we were providing for food and medicine was being
used very efficiently and compassionately. We also saw it in
the IDP camps especially in Unity State in South Sudan where
again because of the generosity of the American people, people
were getting adequate food and shelter and medicine.
Obviously, this commingles and works synergistically with
the United Nations' efforts, particularly in camps that are run
by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), so I think that partnership, as in the past,
as in the present, and looking into the future, bodes well for
doing everything humanly possible to assist.
There are always concerns about budget cuts. I think they
are in the process of being mitigated by congressional action
and that is a good thing in my opinion. Because again, for the
weakest and most vulnerable among us, particularly refugees,
particularly women and small children in dire situations where
famine and other disasters are wreaking havoc on them, it is
important to ensure that we get those resources to them in a
timely fashion again to ensure survival and hopefully
prospering.
Finally, one of the programs I consider to be among the
greatest ever conceived is the first 1,000 days from conception
to the second birthday where through adequate food security,
children and mothers are made healthier. If ever there was a
program that boosts immunity, ensures that mother and baby are
healthier and can thrive, it thwarts the whole idea of
stunting. In countries where there has been embrace of this
important first 1,000 days of life, and it is part of,
obviously, the fabric of the Global Food Security Act which I
was the House sponsor of, and worked very closely with Dr.
Shah, previously with the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID). And I have been with Ambassador Green, the
new USAID Administrator, is a wonderful man to take the helm of
USAID. As our former Ambassador to Tanzania, also he worked for
IRI, so he gets the democracy piece, but also sat on this
committee, my committee, years ago.
And to have him in such a prominent and gatekeeper position
and Cheryl Anderson, I am sure you will agree, he is a man with
tremendous competence and compassion who will make a huge
difference at USAID. And so we are certainly grateful that he
is at the helm.
I would like to yield to my good friend and colleague, Ms.
Bass.
Ms. Bass. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I want to welcome
the Acting Assistant Secretary Donald Yamamoto and Acting
Assistant Administrator Cheryl Anderson and thank you both for
joining us today.
One of the things I always appreciate about this committee
is the fact that so much of our work is on a bipartisan basis
and especially as it relates to the continent of Africa. As I
was walking in, I heard the chairman describe our trip to
Uganda and to South Sudan and I certainly going to ask you
about that in the Q and A.
But we all know that there is a direct correlation between
our budget and our foreign policy priorities which is why, of
course, the budget has caused a great deal of concern when we
saw the initial fiscal year 2018 budget request that called for
a nearly 30 percent cut to the State Department and USAID.
And I know that the administration is concerned about
security and counterterrorism. And to me, when I look at USAID
and the State Department, you know, we can make a choice. We
can try to deal with security in addition through the military,
but also through diplomacy and through development, or we can
just fund the military. And so that really concerns me. And it
makes me feel that the fiscal year 2018 budget is extremely
short sighted.
I am also concerned about the African Growth and
Opportunity Act (AGOA), and I didn't--and perhaps you can
answer this in the Q and A, but I didn't see support for trade
hubs and some of the other supportive programs. Maybe I am just
missing the details, but in the CRS document, I don't see that.
President Bush established PEPFAR and we know that PEPFAR
has done so much to reduce HIV and AIDS on the continent. I am
glad that that funding has continued. But I am concerned about
the elimination of the African Development Bank and Foundation.
And again, I think that the overall approach is short sighted.
It is like they picked and chose, but maybe didn't understand
what the programs were. At least I am hoping that that is the
case. I am hoping that it can be rectified.
I was glad that the Young African Leaders Initiative
(YALI), Power Africa, and Feed the Future is still in the
budget, but the question is at what level. And the
restructuring that collapses a bunch of programs together
certainly causes concern for me. I don't exactly know how that
is going to work, if that reorganization has actually take
place or if it is a proposal or what.
And I will leave it at that and I know we will get into a
rich exchange during the Q and A.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Ms. Bass. Mr. Donovan.
Mr. Donovan. I will yield, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Suozzi. I will yield, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. I would like to now introduce our
very two distinguished witnesses and welcome back both of these
great leaders.
Beginning with Donald Yamamoto, Ambassador Yamamoto, he
served as U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia from November 2006 to July 2009. He also served as
Deputy Assistant Secretary to the Bureau of African Affairs
from 2003 to 2006 where he was responsible for coordinating
U.S. policy toward over 20 countries in East and Central
Africa. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of
Djibouti from 2000 to 2003 and was Deputy Director of the East
African Affairs from 1998 to 2000.
He entered the Foreign Service in 1980--same year I got
elected to Congress I would note parenthetically. Former
assignments include U.S. Embassy of Beijing as Ambassador's
staff aide and Human Rights Officer, during the Tiananmen
Square demonstrations and massacre in 1989. In Japan, he was
Principal Officer at a consulate; in Eritrea, as Charge
d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Asmara in the Horn of Africa.
He attended the National War College in 1996 for senior
training and received a Congressional Fellowship in 1991.
Ambassador Yamamoto was a graduate of Columbia College and
did graduate studies in Columbia, receiving a Master's Degree
in International Affairs. He studied Chinese, Japanese, Arabic,
and French. During his Foreign Service career, he received four
individual Superior Honor awards, two group awards, and the
2006 Robert Frasure Memorial Award for advancing conflict
resolution in Africa.
Next we will be hearing from Cheryl Anderson who is the
Acting Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa at
USAID. She joined the Bureau as Senior Deputy Assistant
Administrator in October 2016. Before joining the Africa
Bureau, she served as the Mission Director for USAID, Southern
Africa from August 2013. And prior to that, she was Mission
Director in Ghana and the East Africa Regional Mission.
Ms. Anderson has over 20 years of development experience,
mostly in Africa. Her experience in Africa began in Ghana as a
Peace Corps volunteer. Since joining USAID as a Foreign Service
Officer in 1988, she has worked in USAID missions in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Sudan, and East Africa.
She served as the Deputy Director in the East Asia Office in
USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, and worked as a program
manager for Healthlink Worldwide, a U.K.-based NGO.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International
Relations from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and a
Master of Science in International Development Management from
American University right here in Washington, DC.
Two very experienced and dedicated public servants and
leaders.
I would like to now yield to Ambassador Yamamoto.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DONALD YAMAMOTO, ACTING ASSISTANT
SECRETARY, BUREAU OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Ambassador Yamamoto. I submit my long form for the record.
Mr. Smith. Without objection, your formal statements, both
of you, and an attachments will be made a part of the record.
Ambassador Yamamoto. I want to thank you very much, Mr.
Chairman, for the great work you have done on the Africa issue.
And Madam Congresswoman, thank you very much for the letter to
the Secretary of State on your concerns on the budget. And I
hope we can address those concerns.
I also want to highlight a couple of points before I start
my short form and that is Secretary Tillerson, during his
comments before the Foreign Relations Committee on June 14th,
noted that we have a very tight budget and that a lot of
difficult, challenging decisions have to be made, but it aligns
with the administration's objective of making America's
security our top priority.
So in that regard, Mr. Chairman, and Madam Congresswoman, I
would like to say that we appreciate the role of this committee
and subcommittee play in helping the America people understand
why foreign affairs matters to them. Advancing the values and
interests of our country, promoting stability in the world does
matter to our citizens whether it results in jobs, in economic
opportunities, connections between communities or the safety
and security we aim to achieve.
For far too long, images of poverty and insecurity have
dominated the American perspective on Africa. Yes, these exist
in Africa, and I would be remiss today if I did not express my
very deep concern about the continued violence and fighting in
places such as South Sudan, the Central African Republic, as
well as the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and ISIS-West
Africa against innocent civilians of all faiths in Nigeria and
across the borders of neighboring states. These challenges are
certainly not the whole story of what is happening on the
continent, however. Countering the scourge of terrorism and
resolving conflict represent just a small part of what our
partnerships on the continent aim to address and to achieve.
As we consider the purpose and nature of our relationship
with Africa, it is important to note two things. The first is
Africa's emergence as a point of global interest and strategic
convergence. What happens on the continent over the next
several years will help shape the world's economy, security,
and well-being. Africa is emerging as a bridge from the Indo-
Pacific region with the larger Atlantic community, while also
connecting directly to Europe and the Middle East.
Second, Africa is a continent of friends and partners to
the United States. With the African Union as the standard
bearer, the vast majority of African states share our
commitment to free markets, equitable trade, democracy, the
rule of law, secure borders, and effective responses to global
terrorist threats.
Active engagement in sub-Saharan Africa advances U.S.
strategic interests. Our close collaboration with the
interagency community centers on a set of jointly agreed-upon
priorities for Africa. Together, we remain committed to: First,
increasing economic growth and investment; second, advancing
peace and security; third, countering the scourge of terrorism;
and four, promoting democracy, human rights, and good
governance.
The fiscal year 2018 foreign assistance budget request for
Africa incorporates input from chiefs of missions at each sub-
Saharan Africa post in response to these over-arching policy
goals and reflects an integrated approach from meeting the
diplomatic security development challenges in each country.
The African Bureaus at both State and USAID worked hard and
hand-in-hand throughout all phases of the budget development
process. The President's $5.2 billion fiscal year 2018 foreign
assistance request for Africa supports the administration's
focus on economic and development assistance to countries of a
greater strategic importance to the United States such as those
critical to advancing U.S. national security objectives.
Difficult tradeoffs were made as we worked to streamline
efforts to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S.
taxpayer dollars. Focusing our efforts allows us to advance our
most important policy goals in national security interests.
The fiscal year 2018 request addresses key priorities in
Africa, including promoting U.S. national security interests by
seeking to assist partner nations to defeat ISIS branches and
affiliates and other terrorist organization threats and
networks in Mali and the Sahel, Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin,
Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and elsewhere. The request also
seeks to assert U.S. leadership and influence by prioritizing
funding for countries recovering from or facing violent
conflict to prevent them from becoming safe-havens for
terrorism and extremism.
The fiscal year 2018 request also supports efforts to
prevent global pandemics through robust funding for health
programs, including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, or PEPFAR, in order to control epidemics and diseases
in key countries, and preventing their spread to the United
States. With the transfer of Ebola funding, the budget request
also maintains funding for malaria programs. African
governments are increasingly acting to address HIV/AIDS,
malaria, and other diseases, as we continue to encourage these
efforts.
The fiscal year 2018 request aims to foster economic
opportunities on the continent by bolstering good governance
and education programs in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, among others,
that create a positive enabling environment for U.S.
businesses. It will also provide sufficient resources to
continue to partner with and provide assistance to key allies
in sub-Saharan Africa in a manner that protects Americans and
American interests, advances bilateral and regional
partnerships, opens new markets for U.S. businesses, and
promotes American values abroad.
Many of the biggest security threats that the United States
faces including terrorism, pandemics, transnational organized
crime are incubated and thrive in weak, failing, and failed
states. Recognizing the foundation and importance of democracy,
human rights, and good governance to Africa's future and to
U.S. foreign policy objectives on the continent. We will
continue to encourage the development of effective justice
sector institutions, strong legislatures, robust civil
societies, and independent judiciaries, media, and elections-
related bodies, all of which are to improve transparency
through advancing human rights violations by abusive
governments so that corruption and failure to deliver these
basic services and lack of transparency do not create
vulnerabilities to violent extremism in unstable regions,
threatening the United States and its allies.
Across the board, we are striving to move beyond outdated
models for aid and focus on the objectives that link us as
partners with the private sector, African governments, local
non-governmental organizations, civil society, and citizens.
This must be the way forward in terms of budget realities and
in recognition of how our relationship with African partners
have progressed.
As we continue to streamline our approach to ensure
efficiencies and effectiveness of U.S. taxpayer dollars, we
will continue to prioritize resources to align with the
administration's foreign policy objectives, focusing our
efforts and coordinating closely with donors that will allow us
to continue to advance our most important policy goals.
And a final point, I want to emphasize that the way we have
prioritized our budgeting for key, crucial areas remains
proportional to what we have done in the past several years.
Thank you very much. I welcome your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ambassador Yamamoto follows:]
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Mr. Smith. Ambassador, thank you very much.
Ms. Anderson.
STATEMENT OF MS. CHERYL ANDERSON, ACTING ASSISTANT
ADMINISTRATOR, BUREAU FOR AFRICA, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Ms. Anderson. Good afternoon members of the subcommittee.
Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today about the
United States' investments in sub-Saharan Africa. It is an
honor and a pleasure to have the opportunity to discuss the
U.S. Agency for International Development's programs on the
continent.
United States assistance is having a transformative impact
in sub-Saharan Africa. Between 2000 and 2015, the percentage of
Africans living in extreme poverty has declined from 57 to 41
percent. Under-5 mortality rates have declined from 154 per
1,000 births in 2000 to 74 children per 1,000 in 2015. And
African school primary enrollment rates have increased from 61
percent in 2000 to 79 percent in 2014.
These dramatic changes were the result of sustained efforts
by African governments, with essential support from bilateral
and multilateral development partners, foundations, and non-
governmental organizations. Throughout USAID's history, we have
confronted some of the world's greatest development challenges,
and along with our partners, we have demonstrated that our work
can and does have a measurable impact. Even so, every program
should look forward to the day when it can end. So every USAID
mission must continuously evaluate how each program dollar
moves a country closer to that day.
These development efforts reap dividends not just for
Africa, but also for the United States. Administrator Green has
stressed that the United States will not turn its back on those
in need.
Where can we make a real difference? That question drives
everything we do. USAID has become more selective in how we
choose the countries and sectors where we will invest our
resources.
The total fiscal year 2018 budget request for Africa is
$5.2 billion. Roughly $3.7 billion or 70 percent of the request
represents the top 10 country programs. In fiscal year 2018,
our resources are allocated based on the four over-arching
policy priorities laid out in the President's Budget Blueprint.
First, advance U.S. national security interests in Africa
through programs that support partners in the fight against
terrorism, advance peace and security, and promote good
governance. Second, ensure programming asserts U.S. leadership
and influence. Third, design programs that foster economic
opportunities and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment
arrangements for both the American people and our African
partners. Lastly, we underscore all these efforts with a
relentless focus on efficiency, effectiveness, and
accountability to the American taxpayer.
Many of the biggest external security threats the United
States faces, including terrorism and pandemics, are incubated
and thrive in weak, failing, and failed states. The fiscal year
2018 budget request supports our continued effort to counter
violent extremism and support conflict prevention and
mitigation on the continent.
For example, in Somalia, USAID activities support the
country's transition from decades of state failure to a more
stable, democratic ally in the volatile Horn of Africa region.
USAID's programs challenge extremist ideology and disrupt
tactics of Islamic State militants and al-Shabaab. Since 2011,
USAID investments have fostered stabilization in more than 40
percent of districts in south central Somalia that were retaken
from al-Shabaab by creating 6,300 new jobs and providing
education services for more than 21,000 secondary school
students.
For more than 55 years, USAID programs have saved and
improved lives around the world, advanced American values,
increased global stability, and driven economic growth in
emerging markets.
Of the fiscal year 2018 request for Africa, approximately
80 percent is allocated to global health programs. These
programs support control of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, prevent
child and maternal deaths, and combat infectious disease
threats. They are hallmarks of U.S. leadership in the world.
However, responding to global challenges is a shared
responsibility that cannot be met by one nation alone.
Although Africa still struggles with development
challenges, the region has experienced rapid economic growth
and significant poverty reduction, with a number of African
countries now among the top fastest-growing economies in the
world.
Increasingly, foreign direct investment is driving growth
in Africa, and U.S. assistance is being outpaced by private
investment. Through Power Africa, a U.S. Government initiative,
the private sector has invested $14 billion in 57 projects at a
relatively minimal cost to the U.S. taxpayer.
Through the USAID Regional Trade and Investment Hubs in
Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, we reduce barriers to trade and
investment, and foster linkages between U.S. and African firms.
In close cooperation with African countries, USAID facilitates
trade and also reduces its time and cost.
We have also prioritized programs that promote
entrepreneurship, help build capacity in local institutions to
support free markets, fight corruption, and unlock
opportunities to formalize the huge informal economy. Our
investments also help to empower women and youth to advance
economically, ensuring inclusive economic growth.
We intend to uphold the administration's commitment to
ensure effectiveness and accountability to the U.S. taxpayer.
Rigorous monitoring and evaluation help to ensure the
effectiveness of USAID's programs. That being said, not
everything we do always turns out the way we plan, so we will
continue to manage our risks well, learn from experience, and
correct course where necessary.
In conclusion, the United States has a continued commitment
to a partnership with African governments, partners, and other
donors grounded in mutual responsibility and respect. USAID has
a very real role in safeguarding the United States' national
security and economic opportunities. As we continue to work
with our partners toward our shared goals over the coming
months, I look forward to a continued conversation on USAID's
work in Africa.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Bass, and members
of the subcommittee. I look forward to responding to your
questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Anderson follows:]
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Mr. Smith. Thank you so very much for your testimony. To
begin the questioning, just let me ask you first. In year 2000
I authored the Admiral Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations
Act. It passed the House. Wasn't taken up by the Senate so I
attached it in its entirety to that year's appropriations bill.
Much of it focused on the issue of security for U.S. personnel
abroad, whether it be at USAID missions or our Embassies
themselves with a heavy emphasis on setbacks, securing the
windows so that they are less vulnerable to terrorist attack.
And it came right out of the bombings in Dar es Salaam and the
bombing in Nairobi in 1997 when we learned a painful lesson
that international terrorism was transnational and that they
would hit softer targets believing that we would be less
prepared.
So my first question really is along the lines of the
commitment that began then under the law and the appropriators
have been very faithful and I think diligent in trying to
ensure that the setbacks and the compounds within which our
deployed personnel work and our contract workers including a
number of indigenous people from each of these countries is
sufficient to protect. And I am wondering if you could tell us
if, in your opinion, Ambassador, that is true and reflected in
this year's budget?
Ambassador Yamamoto. First, thank you very much for those
efforts. So of our 44 Embassies and we have another 6
consulates and other offices for a total of 50. And we have
about 1200 officers and 3200 other agencies working those
missions, we have about 30 or so missions and offices that have
been or are under construction under the new standards for
security. And so those monies have been put to good use.
The security development, I think the Secretary raised it
very clearly on diplomatic security and the funding, so that
continues. We still have several Embassies that are now under
construction. In fact, this week, we will be opening two new
chancelleries in Mauritania and in Chad. So thank you very much
for that work, Mr. Congressman.
Mr. Smith. I will never forget when Admiral Crowe who then
headed up the Accountability Review Board and testified before
my committee then back in 1988 made the case that wonderful
people from the United States travel abroad, often at great
risk to themselves from disease, as well as terrorism. We
should at least ensure that the physical plan and the protocols
that are in place to protect them are as robust as they can be.
And that was the reason for the law in the beginning. So I am
grateful that progress continues under your watch.
One area of concern with yours in this year's budget
request, which I think frankly is in the process of being
overcome through the appropriations process, and that is the
issue of Feed the Future. In the last Congress, I was the
author on the House side on the Global Food Security Act with a
big emphasis on ensuring that nutrition, proper supplementation
was provided for, and yet this year's budget calls for very
significant cuts in Feed the Future and elimination of the of
the Food for Peace program. I don't believe that will happen
and I wish it wasn't even in the budget request to begin with.
Already in the appropriations bill, as passed by the House,
that is largely overcome with bipartisan efforts to ensure that
that important food security is available. But if you would
like to speak to that and in a like manner, PEPFAR. A visionary
bill authored originally by Congressman Henry Hyde who was
chairman of our full committee, but also especially inspired by
George W. Bush who said, ``This pandemic must end.'' And I
remember Henry Hyde explained to him, he said, ``If left
untreated, this will be like the Bubonic Plague'' and was
already claiming lives of so many millions of men, women, and
children in the United States, but also in sub-Saharan Africa
where it was particularly raging and destroying human life.
There is a significant cut, as well, in PEPFAR and on the
good news front, I don't it is going to happen. Already in this
budget we are talking about the budget that the House has
passed for appropriations. Talks about $6 billion being
allocated for the PEPFAR program and through USAID as well. So
I think it will be overcome by congressional intervention, but
if you would speak to how important these programs and others--
you know, it is not the nature of both Democratic and
Republican administrations.
I remind my colleagues that President Obama sent up budgets
that cut tuberculosis by 20 percent. We added it all back. He
had a program that neglected tropical diseases efforts which
were at at $100 million, cut it by $20 million. We put it back.
I tried to get it to $125 million, but at least we got it back
to straight lining.
And Mr. Biggs and I have introduced a bill that would
significantly prioritize these horrific neglected tropical
diseases including worms which about 1 billion people carry,
which is unconscionable, when we think what that must be like.
Rather than Feed the Future with food, we are feeding the
worms. So we really want to ensure that people have healthier
guts and parasites are destroyed inside of these very
vulnerable groups of people all over the world, but especially
in sub-Saharan Africa.
But if you could speak to PEPFAR and this effort. Again, I
do think the record should show it this year's budget already
makes it clear that that money is going back into the budget
and perhaps you might want to speak to how well utilized that
money could be to ensure that these vulnerable populations are
cared for.
Ms. Anderson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would emphasize
that as we formulated the budget for fiscal year 2018, we
worked to reflect the President's America First policy and the
foreign policy priorities of the administration. So we focused
our resources on the programs and the countries and the sub-
regions where we felt we could maximize our impact on national
security, on U.S. economic interests, U.S. influence and
leadership, and also efficiency, effectiveness, and
accountability to the American taxpayers.
So we made some tough choices. And I would like to
emphasize that at any budget level, we always have to make sure
that we are efficient with our use of resources. And it is
always a very good exercise to see how we can be more
efficient. It is also important for us to look to others to do
more, including helping our host countries to mobilize domestic
resources to help mobilize private capital for development
objectives. That said, we absolutely recognize the importance
of food security and appreciate the Global Food Security Act.
Feed the Future has already done quite a bit toward the
development of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We are
particularly concerned about building resilience to future
shocks that we know will be coming, especially drought in some
of the areas of sub-Saharan Africa where we see recurring
problems.
We also realize that the work that we do in food security
and making the value chains more efficient is good for U.S.
businesses. So we did announce a new set of target countries
for Feed the Future and we will continue to prioritize our
resources as much as we can in the countries where we will have
a good impact.
On PEPFAR and on health, in general, I think you will see
in the fiscal year 2018 budget the line item for PEPFAR
actually went up a little bit. And we recognize the importance
of continued investments in health and especially in HIV and in
AIDS.
Mr. Smith. I noticed in the explanation before, Ambassador
Yamamoto, the administration said that nobody would lose their
ARVs. Anybody who was on treatment would continue receiving it.
And that is important for a number of reasons, obviously. You
don't want people who are HIV positive obviously getting full-
blown AIDS and suffering the ravages of that deadly disease.
But I think one of the greater stories that remains largely
told in policy circles, but not in the general public, is that
the viral load, as you know, is so significantly reduced to a
treatment, not just preventive means, but the treatment itself
down that viral load. So the more we provide treatment the more
we are lessening or mitigating the transmission of this
horrific disease. So I am glad to hear of the increase because
I think it is needed and then some.
And I do believe, as you have noted, and I have read the
budget recommendations, we want to get others to do more and
that is an important concept. And the American taxpayer demands
that others step up and do more, particularly the European
Union where much more could be done. With that said, for people
who are suffering starvation or the ravages of disease, it
seems to me that we always should be the first with the most to
make sure that they survive and thrive, even if the others do
not step up to the plate. That is just my thoughts on that.
Ambassador.
Ambassador Yamamoto. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and really
for all your great work for the committee. So just to kind of
emphasize that the overall budgeting, if you look at the $5.2
billion 2018 request is still over about 81 percent which is
not really changed in the past, so 81 percent toward health and
overall healthcare issues.
But I think what is really important is that over the years
since PEPFAR has developed and Feed the Future, what the
Ambassadors are doing and what we are doing with USAID
directors in the field is doing much more integration. So in
other words, building on other pots of funding and also
programs and kind of bring it together. So for instance when
you see the PEPFAR countries from Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia,
Ghana, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, that is just not receiving
PEPFAR money, but they are also receiving economic support
funds. The other issue is military assistance to help for
security issues, education, agriculture.
The other issue, too, is looking at supporting our NGO
partners, the faith-based groups, etcetera. And so it is really
a much more holistic, cohesive group.
The other thing, too, is I think we have learned from a lot
of areas. I think when I was the Ambassador in Ethiopia, we had
a problem about how to utilize all the funding. And I think
through your guidance and the guidance from USAID, we have done
a much better job of really utilizing effectively and saving a
lot of taxpayer money. So thank you.
Mr. Smith. Ranking Member Bass.
Ms. Bass. I want to compliment both of you for incredible
careers and contributions that you have made to our country
through your service over the years. And you don't need to
answer this, but I know that you have to support this budget
and it must be very painful because this is just filled with
contradictions.
You ran through, Ms. Anderson, you ran through--I think I
lost track of some of your points, but U.S. national security
to advance peace. You talked about U.S. leadership and
influence and efficiency and effectiveness and accountability.
I think there was one I missed. Did I miss one?
Ms. Anderson. U.S. economic interests?
Ms. Bass. Yes, U.S. economic interests and you also said
America First. And to me, America First doesn't mean we
abdicate our leadership role. And so for national security and
advancing peace and then the budget proposes cutting
peacekeeping and cutting development. So to me, that is a
direct contradiction. U.S. leadership and influence, Feed the
Future is a perfect example of U.S. leadership.
You know, I think it is one of the best programs we have
had and the chairman's leadership in it. Instead of us
providing food to Africa, Africa can feed itself. And us
providing technology and our scientific expertise so that we
can build the capacity rather than have this charity approach
to me is U.S. leadership. We complain about the role of the
Chinese. Well, you know, this budget has us stepping back in my
opinion.
When you are looking for efficiency and effectiveness, I am
wondering if instead of cutting programs, you are looking at or
examining any outside contracting that might be done. And you
know, if that is an area where you could look at cutting
instead of cutting things like some of the programs that we
have talked about.
I wanted to ask you about a couple of things health
related. It is my understanding and you can tell me if I am
wrong, but that the budget would dramatically reduce
reproductive health programs and family planning. And one of
the problems in Africa is maternal deaths and one of the
reasons why you have maternal deaths is when women cannot space
their pregnancy. And so if I am reading it right, what is the
logic in cutting it back?
You know, again, we can make decisions about national
security. We can put all of our resources in the military or we
can help address some of the root causes for the conflicts to
begin with. And it seems like this budget is very short sighted
and why I said it is full of contradictions.
Now it is a perfect example of why I am thankful we have
three equal branches of government so that we can push back and
not fund the way this budget is proposing to fund Africa-
related programs. So I want to ask, am I correct in looking at
essentially family planning would be zeroed out, if not
drastically reduced. You can answer that, one of you.
Ms. Anderson. That is correct. We have zeroed out family
planning in the fiscal year 2018 budget.
Ms. Bass. What is the reason? What is the logic for that?
Ms. Anderson. Policy decision.
Ms. Bass. Yes, I know it is a policy, but why?
Ms. Anderson. I would be happy to take your thoughts back.
Ms. Bass. You know, I know that funding is cut for anything
related to climate change and unfortunately Africa and a lot of
the problems that happen in Africa, the natural disasters are
completely related to climate change. So is that just using the
budget to express an ideology?
Ms. Anderson. Again, that was a policy decision. I would go
back to family planning and note that we continue our
commitment the health of women and children with our other
health programs including maternal and child health and malaria
programming and HIV/AIDS.
Ms. Bass. Maternal and child health. One of the reasons for
maternal death are not being able to space your pregnancies. So
you provide it in one side and then contribute to the problem
in another way?
Ms. Anderson. Yes, go ahead.
Ambassador Yamamoto. And yours was a very cogent and very
difficult question and the challenges that we had in trying to
fashion the budget and what decisions are made, but then on the
other side, too, we are looking at for more efficiencies. I
will give you one example is on maternity and infant mortality
rates. So looking at the different pots of money and looking at
what really makes sense, so for instance, in East Africa where
you have in many countries and areas one out of every ten will
die before the age of 5. So if they survive to five is really
one of our basic USAID campaigns.
Ms. Bass. Which is our chairman's program as well. First
1,000 Days.
Ambassador Yamamoto. It is one of the most effective. The
areas that we have to depend on contributions from NGO groups,
the others, faith-based groups, and we really connected with a
lot of faith-based groups in the United States from Oklahoma to
Virginia to other places in the Eastern United States.
Right, it doesn't make up all the issues that we need to do
and to address, but it makes up a significant. The other part
is is one of the things that----
Ms. Bass. What do the faith-based groups have to do with
it? I am missing your point.
Ambassador Yamamoto. For instance, in Ethiopia and Somalia,
you don't have incubators. And so what they have done is they
have made these skull caps, which is to help.
Ms. Bass. Oh.
Ambassador Yamamoto. And then we bring in--it is called,
the mothers are--we call them kangaroos because what they do is
because there are no incubators, they hug the child until they
survive.
Ms. Bass. Right. Keep the child warm.
Ambassador Yamamoto. That is right. And then the other
issue, too, is looking at food aid and food assistance and then
food development issues to help feed children, etcetera.
The other issue that is really kind of plaguing us is
medical care and health care. So for instance, when we were
doing a data dumping on some of the countries, particularly
Ethiopia, we were noticing that a lot of doctors, there were
more Ethiopian doctors outside of Ethiopia than inside
Ethiopia.
Ms. Bass. There were more what?
Ambassador Yamamoto. Ethiopian doctors.
Ms. Bass. Right.
Ambassador Yamamoto. In Botswana, even in Washington, DC.
Ms. Bass. Probably in Los Angeles.
Ambassador Yamamoto. Yes, Washington, DC. So the issue is
what do you do? And so we learn from the U.S. program EMTs and
how to do basic EMT work and having basic healthcare providers.
And so the low cost, a lot of contributions, and private sector
support and so that helps to address a lot of the basic
maternity and infant mortality issues.
Ms. Bass. When we had a hearing, the Deputy Secretary
testified before the full committee regarding the State
Department's redesign plan which really seems like it is a
mess. I mean you might be able to talk about that, all of the
combination of programs. But in particular, I asked about a
special envoy, specifically the South Sudan. And the Deputy
Secretary thought that the special envoy was put in statute by
Congress. And that is not the case apparently.
So what we have been told is that the Department of State
believes that the responsibilities can be administrative
realigned to be covered by the DAS within the Bureau of African
Affairs. And so I want to know if you can provide additional
details about the DAS that will cover this and how we think,
especially given--you know again, it is shortsightedness.
We pass close to $1 billion for famine and then we remove
the special envoy to South Sudan?
Ambassador Yamamoto. And so from your travels and visits to
the region, you see very much the problems in Mali, 1.3 million
refugees from South Sudan going to Uganda and other problems.
What we have done on the decision made by the Secretary is that
we have the envoy back into the Bureau. And so we still have
those FTE positions, so in other words, the positions.
So what we want to do is is really kind of refocus and we
have been coordinating with the P3s and our donor colleagues,
particularly the special reps that they have from Norway, the
U.K. And then looking at the African Union and seeing how can
we, the United States, play a----
Ms. Bass. I thought we cut the African Union, we cut
funding to the African Union.
Ambassador Yamamoto. But the issue is that we are
coordinating with them because they play a critical role,
particularly in the high level dialogue run by Ethiopia's
Hailemariam and Uganda's Museveni with Salva Kiir in Southern
Sudan. So based on that, we are looking at how we can realign
and support these efforts and then using our positions to use
senior officers to play critical roles in support of and also
taking lead in certain areas. That is something that we are
still looking at, but I think I have a little more confidence
now as we look in reshaping and redirect our operations.
Ms. Bass. So you don't think a special envoy is needed?
Ambassador Yamamoto. At this point the decision has been
made that we will not have a special envoy.
Ms. Bass. That was a good answer. You didn't answer that,
but I understand that. I really do. I feel like both of you,
this budget does not reflect your illustrious careers and I am
sorry that you have to be put in a position to defend it.
My final question is--I am sorry.
Ms. Anderson. If I could just make one clarification on the
development budget for African Union. If you are looking at the
line items it is showing as zero, but we will be providing
funding through the regional account.
Ms. Bass. So the chairman asked you a question, Ambassador,
about Embassy security. And you mentioned that several
Embassies were on line to be built. What about the DRC? That
Embassy, when I went there, the place was falling apart.
Ambassador Yamamoto. That is an issue that we have been
working on for years. We have asked President Kabila to give us
land so we can start building. And that is something that we
are going to be pushing very vigorously because we really need
to get our people into safe, secure areas. And that is one of
our top priorities.
Ms. Bass. Well, even if he doesn't give land, do we have
anything in the budget to repair that place? Because literally,
it looked like it was falling apart.
Ambassador Yamamoto. And we have done based on DS security
regulations to look at how we can upgrade what we have now. But
the bottom line is that we need to have a new Embassy and that
is what we are looking and focusing on and working with the
government on.
Ms. Bass. Thank you. Yield back my time.
Mr. Smith. The gentleman from New York, Mr. Donovan.
Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have to attend a
Middle East and Northern African hearing, so I just wanted to
ask one question.
Mr. Ambassador, you touched on it. I think you also did,
Ms. Anderson, about efficiencies and reviewing where we are
getting the best results from the efforts that we are making
and where we are replacing our resources. Can you touch on some
of the findings that you may have found as you review whether
or not some of the programs are as efficient as we would hope
they would be and then maybe some other areas that you might
look at in the future to see where we would reallocate
resources so we are getting results for our efforts?
Ambassador Yamamoto. So as we are looking at the security
environment right now and the problems we are seeing is flow of
arms, criminal syndicates going through Central African
Republic and then posing problems to the G5 countries, those
are like Mauritania, Chad, Niger, etcetera is what is it that
we need to do to kind of bolster the security? And the issue is
that you don't want to do it alone.
So from the U.N. General Assembly on we have really worked
very effectively and hard with the key threes, that is the U.K.
and then France and then other donor countries. And then also
the African Union and the regional states, so ECOWAS and other
issues. And then looking at what they are providing assistance
or what they see the issues are, then looking at our own
funding that we have given to countries.
So what we have done is if you look at the budget, you see
a lot of countries that are being decreased by 20 percent, 30
percent or what have you. But if you look at the regional
funding, that is where we are looking at trying to use that as
assistance or reserve to look at the most critical areas that
we need to provide assistance. So in other words, we have--I
will give you some examples on the funding. So we have $131
million that is going to be Chad-based in country. That is
Nigeria, Mauritania and Niger. And then we look at the trans-
Sahel and the TSTCP on the west side and the PREACT on the east
side. And so as we see problems developing, we can use the
funding from these regional bases to help support and bolster
these countries' security.
Mr. Donovan. Ms. Anderson.
Ms. Anderson. I would say three things. On finding
efficiencies in our programming, we have had a major push on
putting more rigor into our monitoring evaluation since 2011.
And that is good because that is a very good way to look back
at the evaluations and see where we can find efficiencies.
A couple of things, when we have very small programs, it
takes a long time to mobilize and it can be quite costly, but I
also appreciate Ranking Member Bass' comment about looking at
some of the big outside contracting, so that is also where we
will be looking.
And then on the other side of things, improving our
partnerships with the host country governments, with civil
society so that we truly have a partnership in our planning and
working together toward the same objective because what we
always want to be doing is working toward the time where we
don't have to have a big program that is as involved as maybe
we have previously.
And another aspect to that is finding ways that we can
mobilize the private sector, private capital. I think we have
done a pretty good job in Power Africa and even Feed the Future
in mobilizing private capital for some of the infrastructure
and other investments that are needed for development.
Mr. Donovan. I have to excuse myself, but I thank both of
you for your service to our country.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. Dr. Bera.
Mr. Bera. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I start asking my
questions, again I appreciate both of you being here. I
appreciate both of your long service to our country and
understand that your job as career diplomats are to implement
the policies of the administration.
I also do want to just give a shout out to the many
employees of the State Department for the work that they are
doing representing the United States both here and abroad under
difficult circumstances, often having, my opinion, often having
to implement policies that they don't believe in, but doing
their job every day.
I also, as a message to the administration, they are very
much under cutting our ability to be the great country that we
are.
America is a better place and the world is a better place
when America is engaged globally. We have seen that in the
second half of the 20th century when we have been leading with
our values, our values of compassion, our values of leadership
in health and global health, our values of leadership and
development.
The second half of the 20th century was much more stable
than the first half of the 20th century because of that
American leadership. And much of that leadership was our
diplomats and the valued employees of the State Department. So
I think certainly I speak to many of the members of this
committee that we will do everything we can as we go through
the budgeting process to get you the resources and the
personnel to continue to do that exemplary job. But I thought
it was very important to make sure those employees that are out
there representing our great nation understand that many of us
appreciate that service.
Now kind of getting back to some of the questions, I
understand the President talks about an America First policy. I
think the policy he is putting forth is going to make us weaker
and have less influence around the world and is not a
reflection of what our values are.
Ms. Anderson, I want to make sure I heard correctly, the
President's budget zeroes out all family planning funds?
Ms. Anderson. For fiscal year 2018.
Mr. Bera. And the budget is a reflection of a President's
values and so forth. That is our best reflection. So my
opinion, it is appropriate when we talk about family planning,
that is birth control, that is other forms of contraception. We
are not talking about abortion because we have not been using
Federal funds for pregnancy termination. We have been using
Federal funds and working with NGOs and others historically to
reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. That, I think,
most global health experts, and I am a physician who has worked
internationally, would think that is appropriate.
My colleague, Ms. Bass from California, has talked about
the importance of reducing maternal and child mortality and one
of those causes of maternal mortality is the spacing of
pregnancies. So if it is in our values to reduce maternal
mortality, we ought to make family planning funds more
accessible.
I haven't asked any questions yet because there is a lot on
my mind here. I understand that there are Members of Congress
that are anti-choice, along with those that do want to empower
women to be in charge of their full reproductive rights. But
regardless, I think we all want to reduce the number of
unintended pregnancies. And on May 15th, the State Department
released guidelines for the implementation of the Mexico City
policy, the global gag rule which my understanding is for the
first time will apply to all global health assistance programs,
many of which are in Africa.
Now this isn't the first time that this policy has been
introduced. In fact, it seems to swing from administration to
administration based on the party that is in charge. But if our
goal is to reduce the number of pregnancy terminations and
reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, what I will tell
you is the last time this policy under George Bush was
implemented, the number of abortions rose 20 percent as a
result of curtailing the ability to have family planning out
there.
Ms. Anderson, would that be a somewhat accurate number?
Ms. Anderson. I am not certain I have that kind of data
right now, but I certainly appreciate the point. Thanks.
Mr. Bera. Thank you. Earlier this year, I asked Secretary
Tillerson a number of questions regarding this policy including
as they implement the Mexico City policy. Would they be
consulting with partners in the field, monitoring the impact of
the policy on healthcare access as well as maternal mortality?
And I think I was told that there would be a 6-month review of
the policy as it was being implemented.
Given the significant amount of healthcare funding we
contribute to the Africa region, I have got a couple of
questions. The Bureau of African Affairs at State and the
Bureau for Africa at USAID obviously is playing a role in
implementing this policy and assessing the potential impact of
the policy such as again women's access to health care, family
planning services, rates of unsafe abortion, and maternal
mortality including the 6-month review.
Do you have any idea what the time line for releasing the
6-month review is?
Ms. Anderson. We are working to fully implement the policy
and I would be happy to get back to you on that.
Mr. Bera. If you could, that would be great. Again, as you
are implementing this policy and again, I am not holding you or
the wonderful employees of State accountable for this policy,
but when I questioned Secretary Tillerson, one of the things
was look, we ought to be checking on is this impacting maternal
mortality? What impact is it having on folks that are out in
the field? What impact is it having on women's access to health
care?
Certainly, I think many on this committee would have a very
big interest in how that policy is being implemented.
I guess my last question and maybe it is for Ambassador
Yamamoto, I am all for looking for efficiencies, looking for
ways we can take our Federal dollars and our taxpayer
resources, partnering those with NGOs that are out there
working in the field, whether those are faith-based groups or
folks like the Gates Foundation, etcetera, and looking at ways
reducing morbidity and mortality and increasing health around
the world. I just worry with the reduction in certain programs
it is actually not helping us leverage our dollars. It is
actually reducing our ability to have impact in the region. And
I just would be curious about your thought on that?
Ambassador Yamamoto. Let me give you something that you all
worked on very hard and that is the AGOA process. And I think
that more than anything has given a lot of hope to Africa.
Obviously, a lot of countries don't benefit, but actually in
many ways they do.
And we were just going and doing the data numbering and we
notice that exports from the United States to Africa rose from
$6 billion in 2000 to $25 billion. That means you are talking
about well over 35,000 U.S. jobs. But on the reverse side is
producing and expanding the capabilities for the Africans.
You know, today, they have a $500 billion total
manufacturing output. That is going to be $1 trillion in the
next decade which means that we are going to help create
hundreds of thousands of jobs in Africa. So that, I think, if
we can continue to do that and one of the areas that I think in
spite of the budget cuts and restraints is that if we can
continue our efforts on fighting corruption, building
institutions, fighting back on non-tariff trade barriers, it is
really opening up businesses and trade so that countries in
Africa, their main trading partner is not going to be Europe or
the former colonial countries, but each other.
We have the capability or ability to produce probably $100
billion in added value over the next several decades. That
means that that is going to create jobs and when you create
jobs, you create wealth and security. And those are the areas
is how do you give them that hope? Those are the fundamental
questions and issues that we are trying to struggle with and
what is the best way, the most efficient and effective manners?
And I think some of the things that we are doing on the
budget is that we are going to meet those needs through the
AGOA, through a lot of the programs and projects that you have
already set up.
I mean look at, for instance, YALI. So YALI is--we now have
74,000 applications for 700 fellowships to come to the U.S. And
once they come to the U.S., they are going to the already
500,000 YALI groups that are all over Africa being kind of like
African Ambassadors to the United States and vice versa,
Ambassadors to Africa, who are supporting and developing and
expanding this relationship. I think this has really been a
very good program.
Ms. Bass. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. Bera. Absolutely
Ms. Bass. You just described YALI which I would agree with
you 100 percent. YALI is being cut.
Ambassador Yamamoto. It is, 50 percent. So we are getting
700 fellowships this year as opposed to 1,000. But they were
still going to continue to develop the fellowship programs and
centers out in Africa. That is the issue.
Ms. Anderson. If I could just chime in? We have had a fair
amount of interest from private sector companies in
contributing to YALI, especially the regional leadership
centers in Africa. And we are hoping to mobilize those
resources better in the coming years. We do have $5 million
programmed for the regional leadership centers for 2018.
Mr. Smith. Mr. Castro.
Mr. Castro. How is the morale at the State Department?
You don't have to answer it. I can ask you another
question.
Over the last year, there has been a growing call toward
autonomy or even independence in Anglophone Cameroon. Cameroon
military has apparently been deployed in these regions and the
government has reportedly blocked social media and internet
access on multiple occasions.
Amnesty International recently reports that up to 17
protesters died, many by the hands of police. So how is the
State Department and USAID addressing the situation?
Ambassador Yamamoto. And thank you for your question. And
thank you for your concern on the issues. Cameroon is a
critical core country, not only security-wise, but also
economic because you know, it forms the oil pipeline from Chad
into Cameroon.
We have talked to President Biya. I have been almost on a
monthly basis several years ago when I was the deputy in the
Bureau to look at how you do the transition from post-Biya. He
has been the President for a long time and how do you
transition, prepare the country for a post-Biya or for the next
leadership?
The other issue, too, is how do you prepare and develop
Cameroon's two groups of French speaking and Anglophone? And
really, it comes down to does everyone have equal access to
wealth and resources; two, education. Three is jobs. Four is
also is there equal opportunities for security and
opportunities afterwards? And those are issues and challenges
that we continue to face. So the fundamental issue is right now
is that we have issued statements calling on the government and
all sides to refrain from the violence.
Mr. Castro. But have we confronted them on the violence and
the abuse and the murder?
Ambassador Yamamoto. We have on President Biya and the
government, we have. And we will continue to do so. And in the
course of my going out to the region is those will be one of
the first stops.
Mr. Castro. Thank you. And of course, as you know, this is
an incredible time for refugees around the world. Many Syrian
refugees in Europe, I spoke yesterday on the Rohingya Muslims
who have fled or have been pushed out to Bangladesh, Central
Americans from the Northern Triangle who have come to the
United States, and there are also refugees in Africa.
So my question is these refugees in Somalia, South Sudan,
and the Central African Republic, when refugees move across
borders, how have host governments responded in those areas?
Are host governments able to provide for refugees including
food, water, shelter, medicine? And what can the United States
do to address any difficulties that these host governments
face?
Ambassador Yamamoto. And you raise the fundamental
difficult challenges. So if you have 65 million refugees
worldwide and if you look at the countries that have really
taken in a lot of the refugees, it is really the countries
around the areas of crises.
So if you look at Somalia right now, you have Dadaab
refugee camp which most of us have gone to. I mean it is the
size of San Diego. If you look at the 1.3 million refugees
coming out of South Sudan, going into Uganda, or if you look at
the refugee flows coming in in Ethiopia, you see now we are
seeing some flows of refugees of the DRC into neighboring
countries.
And so the question is we have the Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration (PRM), our Refugee Bureau, which looks
at funding and assisting these countries to support the
refugees. We also looked at the UNHCR, the United Nations
organizations. We look at other donor communities in support of
these refugees. It is difficult. It is long-term, but the issue
is it has to be immediate response because people are suffering
as they go across the borders.
Mr. Castro. Sure. And then if you will indulge me one more
comment, chairman, just for the record and this subcommittee,
so much of the work that all of us care about, including the
chairman's work over the years which I have heard him speak
strongly on human rights, for example, I believe much of that
work is undercut by the budget cuts that we are seeing, and
also by some of the changes in policy.
I think that we are ceding a lot of ground to other
countries like China to go into places like Latin America and
Africa and build stronger relationships than perhaps even some
of the relationships that we have. And I see that issue only
growing in the coming years if we continue down this new path.
But thank you all for being here. Thank you for your testimony.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Castro. I do have one final
question on peacekeeping, but before we get to that just a
point. Dr. Bera raised the issues of the Mexico City policy and
I think people know that it got its name because under Ronald
Reagan, it was announced at the U.N. Population Conference in
Mexico City in 1984. And the policy was to say we want to
protect harmless unborn children and who we contribute to does
matter. If an organization wants to perform and promote
abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, and life of the
mother, and those are the three exceptions contained in the
Mexico City policy, if they were to do that, we believe that
the unborn child should be held harmless.
There are members of this committee, Members of the House,
and we just had a very divisive vote on pain-capable unborn
children who at 20 weeks we sought, and it did pass the House
with a rather significant majority, that pain-capable unborn
babies ought to be protected. And I, during the course of that
debate, quoted from a doctor, Dr. Levatino, who used to be an
abortionist. He performed 1200 abortions himself, over 100 on
children up to 24 weeks gestation and he told the story before
the House Judiciary Committee how he would pull arms and legs
off of a child and he was numb to it. He felt it was an
abortion, so therefore it was justified. And then he had a
complete, total, 180 degree change of heart and said, ``What am
I doing? I am pulling a baby apart.''
We know for a fact that children as early as 20 weeks
survive at 20 weeks' gestation. And that they are in nurseries,
intensive care nurseries. And one of the doctors that I quoted
as well, who works in an intensive care neonatal unit talked
about her patients at 20 weeks, that if she were to go and pull
and arm or a leg, delimb that the child, that that child would
suffer would be intense.
So I believe, it is not shared by everyone and I respect
all people, whatever their view, that the most fundamental
human rights issue of our time is protecting the innocent and
the most vulnerable from violence.
And I do believe that abortion is violence against children
and it also, and I work with a number of women who are post-
abortive, that there are consequences for the women as well,
particularly psychologically. Not all would agree with that,
but there is no doubt that when you dismember or chemically
poison an unborn child, it has a horrific impact on the child,
the older he or she is, and the evidence is overwhelming, not
even suggestive, but overwhelming that they feel pain and they
feel even more excruciatingly in a much deeper way than we do
because from 20 weeks to 32 weeks gestation, there are more
receptors on the skin area available to the dismemberment and
the child just does feel it even more.
Dr. Anand, who is an expert, has stated that in sworn
affidavits on behalf of the Justice Department in courts of
law. I say that because there will be obviously on-going fights
on this issue. President Obama reversed the Mexico City policy
when he took office. President Clinton did the same thing.
Ronald Reagan initiated it. George Herbert Walker Bush
continued it and George W. Bush reinstated it.
I am very proud of the administration for extending it to
global health so that the child is held harmless. These are
babies. The first amendment I offered in the U.S. House of
Representatives in committee, in the Foreign Affairs Committee,
was to provide $50 million to the Child Survival Fund to
promote immunizations, oral hydration therapy, growth
monitoring, and breast feeding, the four pillars of child
survival.
Unfortunately, Ronald Reagan's David Stockman had suggested
we take the $25 million that we have in that program and we get
rid of it. I doubled it by offering my amendment. I do believe,
respectfully, to those who disagree, that abortion is
antithetical to child survival because it literally takes the
life of that child and destroys him or her and
disproportionately women, girls, the girl child is killed.
I chair the China Commission. We just released our most
recent human rights report, and because of sex selection
abortion, China is missing 62 million or more girls. Girl
children are killed. More than that have been killed the sex
selection abortion, but in my humble opinion, this is an act of
gender crime when you single out a child at 5 months or so
through ultrasound, discover that it is a girl and it was
admitted, even was put out that said the three most dangerous
words that could be uttered in some parts of the world, ``It is
a girl,'' because then she is targeted for elimination and
extermination, simply because she is a girl.
I again want to applaud the administration for saying we
will provide those monies and you will get more than what you
asked for for a variety of programs, including family planning,
but we agree with the caveat that we want to hold harmless that
child from dismemberment or chemical poisoning because that is
the two ways that abortions are effectuated.
Let me just say, ask one question, and my final question on
peacekeeping. I am concerned that the administration's budget,
the fiscal year 2017 enacted level was $1.9 billion. The
proposal is for $1.2 billion. There are 21 peacekeeping efforts
under way around the world. Six are under the auspices of the
African Union; 15 under the auspices of the United Nations.
And Karen Bass and I, when we went to South Sudan, we both
have been there a number of times, we went there in June. We
were happy to see the UNMISS, the U.N. deployment there had
greatly fine-tuned and embedded their rules of engagement
because they had been wanted in many, many ways. I had been
there a year before that and frankly they were not really
protecting civilians. But we, I think you would agree, we found
that there was an increased effort to try to be on the
protection side and really--my question is, my concern, and I
think it is shared by every member of this subcommittee, is a
cut in peacekeeping, even though we always want them to do more
with less, we want other countries, particularly in the EU to
step up and perhaps donate more, and I agree with that.
But it is a bargain when it comes to deployment of getting
troops highly trained and in Africa, they are mostly African
troops, not all of course, but for the U.S. military, this is
incredible value added and for the civilians, the women and
children, especially who suffer in these countries from rogue
militaries, as well as insurgents and terrorists, it is the
difference between life and death.
I want to encourage you to do what you can--even more. I
think personally both of you would be more supported, but even
in the administration to say this is a really good deal for
protection, making sure that the peacekeeping funding is as
high as it could possibly be. And I say that with one other
caveat that I know what you are doing. As you know, I am the
author of the Traffic and Victims Protection Act and I work on
that issue every single day.
When we found out in the Democratic Republic of Congo that
the peacekeepers themselves were raping children, as young as
13, there was an outrage in a human rights violation with very
few parallels. I know that the U.N. peacekeeping leadership
have gone through great lengths to try to really reign in on
that egregious practice and have done so very successfully. It
is not perfect. Never is, but I want to applaud them in New
York and those who are involved with this effort.
Jane Holl Lute, who was one of the ones who helped get Kofi
Annan to enact or put into place the zero tolerance policy, but
again, our Government, obviously, our TIP Office, State, and
USAID, all of us together need to be pushing to make sure the
peacekeepers are always on the side of protection and never on
the side of exploitation. But if you could take that back about
the $1.9 billion and I think that needs to be augmented upwards
simply because of more need that is out there for peacekeeping,
if you want to speak to that.
Ambassador Yamamoto. We will. And just to make one
response, so yes, absolutely correct that the peacekeeping is
critical and again, I think the regional funding is going to
help us support a lot of the areas where we have challenges
that we have today, the G5 in the Central Africa Republic area
or in the future which may pop up which we don't perceive now.
But just looking at all of the funding that the President has
allocated, we are seeing them coming in to Africa from the $131
million for the Lake Chad initiative. We have $121 million for
the trans-Sahel issue and $200 million for East Africa.
But you are absolutely correct, we are going to look very
hard at how we can address security needs. But one thing that
really stands out has been the ACOTA process. We have just
completed the training of over 300,000 African troops from 26
countries and as you rightly say, Mr. Chairman, 70 percent of
all of the peacekeepers in Africa are from Africa, 70 percent.
Eighty-four percent of all U.N. peacekeepers are in Africa. And
thanks to Leahy vetting as well, those troops have been very
supported, and so to contain and to change that mindset of
these rogue armies and others in Africa.
Can I just make one more comment off the record? Not off
the record, but I mean in addition to the record. Yes.
I know Congressman Castro made one comment, but the issue
comes in and let me just say for my colleagues and I at the
State Department is that I was--I worked at the National
Defense University looking after basically our future leaders
in the military and foreign affairs. And I was called and said
come back to the State Department to help the Africa Bureau.
Well, that is not going to be like--not even announced. I said
yes, of course.
Coming back to the Bureau really as a senior officer, our
job and our commitment and certainly my colleagues are the same
as to how do we develop, how do we mentor our officers? I have
been away 3 years and I think we have probably the youngest
Bureau in the Department of State. I mean they are really
young. And so I think my job and the job of our senior officers
is really to mentoring, to train, and to develop them as future
diplomats.
And the other issue, too, is that I have been honored to
work on our redesign on personnel reform. How do we develop and
train our future officers? How do we do better mentoring? And I
think that I am really enthused about and that is what gets me
up every day and that is what I want to every single solitary
day.
Ms. Bass. I appreciate that and I know from your general
enthusiasm that your morale is high and I think that is great.
I don't know that that translates throughout the Department,
but I think it is really important to have your spirits
uplifted.
I just wanted to mention a couple of things in terms of the
USAID, in particular, is that I hope when a reorg. is happening
that we look at doing foreign aid much more like the Feed the
Future, Electrify Africa model, where it is not just about--it
is not just charity. And you know a continent like Africa has a
capacity to do for itself and we shouldn't just look at foreign
aid as supplying resources to our own NGOs because then you
have a model where it never ends and I don't think that that
should be the case. And obviously, the NGOs are very important.
There is enough poverty to go around, so it is not like they
are going to go out of business if, you know, our focus is more
on building self-sufficiency rather than providing direct
services.
I appreciate my colleague's comments and I appreciate that
he also respects that people see things differently and the two
of us do in some areas, but I think where we have a common
perspective is on the family planning side and we were both in
South Sudan. We were in the refugee camps and you were in
northern South Sudan. Was that Bidi Bidi?
Ambassador Yamamoto. Unity State.
Ms. Bass. Unity State. And there were all of these babies
and it just broke my heart because I knew that the majority of
those babies were not created by partners. They were created
through rape. And we saw the children right next to bodies of
water and it just made me scared to death at how many drowning
deaths they must have in that camp. And so I think the best way
to prevent abortion is to provide family planning. And I don't
think those women chose those pregnancies. Those pregnancies
were forced on them. And so you know, we should look at that.
We are zeroing it out and once again, I think it is just an
example of the hypocrisy of a lot of what is proposed in the
budget. And I am just glad that as Congress we cannot follow
and reverse some of the proposals that are put forward by the
administration. Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Anything else you would like to add before we
close?
Ms. Anderson. Just appreciate your comment about the
redesign and we have submitted our proposal, but we are keeping
it close hold for now, so I am not in a position to talk about
it, but we do look forward to consulting as soon as we can and
your points are very similar to the points that Administrator
Green makes every day in terms of real partnerships and moving
our host country partners closer to self-sufficiency.
Mr. Smith. I want to thank both of you for your very, very
noble service to our country. Thank you for your presentations
today. We look forward to working with you going forward. The
hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:25 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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