[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 118 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5786-H5787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1500
USAID BRANDING MODERNIZATION ACT
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 2744) to authorize the Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development to prescribe the manner in which programs
of the agency are identified overseas, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows
H.R. 2744
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``USAID Branding Modernization
Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR BRANDING.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) is authorized to
prescribe, as appropriate, the use of logos or other insignia
of the USAID Identity, or the use of additional or substitute
markings including the United States flag, to appropriately
identify, including as required by section 641 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2401), overseas programs
administered by the Agency.
(b) Audit.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the United
States Agency for International Development shall submit to
Congress an audit of compliance with relevant branding and
marketing requirements of the Agency by implementing partners
funded by the USAID, including any requirements prescribed
pursuant to the authorization under subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2744.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking my friend from Texas once
again, the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul,
for his hard work on this measure. I am glad to be a cosponsor.
Mr. Speaker, our development efforts around the world accomplish so
much.
Whether it is helping build a road that links a small village to a
trade hub, working with governments to make their justice systems more
transparent and accountable, assisting communities to get clean
drinking water, or expanding access to broadband internet in rural
areas, American development work is making differences you can see in
people's lives. It is also projecting our country's character of
compassion and generosity.
So when I travel around the world and I see the USAID logo--it is
that recognizable seal of two hands clasped in friendship--on the front
door of a new school or a wastewater treatment facility or a pallet of
food on its way to refugees, it makes me proud. It really does.
The people benefiting from that assistance should know where it is
coming from, too. We should signal to the world our commitment to
development is a core pillar of America's global engagement.
This legislation reaffirms the obligation to brand our foreign
assistance while continuing to provide needed flexibility to ensure we
are not putting our partners or aid recipients at risk. It requires a
long overdue audit to ensure that USAID projects are appropriately
branded in the field.
This is something Mr. McCaul and I have been working on closely
together.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter on this issue that Mr.
McCaul and I wrote to the USAID administrator, our former House
colleague, Mark Green.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, July 15, 2019.
Mr. Mark Green,
Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development,
Washington, DC.
Dear Administrator Green: We write to you today to
reiterate the Congressional intent behind HR 2744, the USAID
Branding Modernization Act, which we have introduced in the
116th Congress.
Providing foreign assistance around the world demonstrates
the generosity of Americans, and furthers our foreign policy
objectives. Branding foreign assistance is always the first
preference, to ensure that those receiving assistance know
that support comes from the American people. As such, the
Congress believes, and has affirmed, that in general, foreign
assistance provided using U.S. taxpayer dollars should be
branded, as appropriate. This demonstrates U.S. commitment to
assisting those in need, be it through food aid after a
drought, job training to empower women entrepreneurs, or
life-saving vaccines to eradicate polio.
That said, Congress acknowledges the need for discretion
and flexibility in branding in some instances to ensure the
safety and security of both implementing partners and
beneficiaries. This bill in no way amends that understanding,
or any authorities, which would impact the ability or need
for USAID to provide branding waivers or exemptions as
appropriate, with input from and ongoing communication with
implementing partners. As referenced in the legislation, 22
USC 2401 asserts that programs ``shall be identified
appropriately overseas''. Federal Register rules and
regulations under 2 CFR Part 700 provide waivers to ensure
that branding does not put partners or beneficiaries at risk,
and USAID internal guidance regarding marking and branding
policies remain at the discretion of the Agency.
Finally, this bill requires an audit, conducted by the
Inspector General for USAID, on the compliance with relevant
branding and marking requirements. This is not intended to
re-litigate branding decisions regarding waivers or
exemptions that are already in place. Rather, this audit is
intended to provide a more comprehensive picture for USAID,
its implementing partners, and Congress, of the challenges to
successful branding and marking, and how to better
communicate, provide guidance, and implement, branding and
marking requirements.
We appreciate USAID's ongoing efforts to save lives, reduce
poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people
emerge from humanitarian crises, to advance a free, peaceful,
and prosperous world. We look forward to continuing to work
with USAID on effective foreign assistance.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel,
Chairman.
Michael T. McCaul,
Ranking Member.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I am glad we will be moving ahead with this
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the United States Agency for International Development
does an incredible job of providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance
to vulnerable people all around the globe.
[[Page H5787]]
I want to take this opportunity to commend our former colleague,
Administrator Mark Green, for his hard work at USAID. I have had many
constructive conversations with him since becoming the lead Republican
on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I look forward to many more. This
bill is actually his idea.
While the primary goal of such assistance is to save the lives of
people in desperate need, we also want to ensure the recipients know
that it is a gift from the people of the United States of America.
We hear a lot about the need to maximize America's ``soft power.''
There is no better way to win hearts and minds than by saving lives,
feeding hungry children, and helping impoverished populations.
This is why I introduced the Branding Modernization Act, together
with Chairman Engel.
While this bill places no mandates on USAID and maintains the
Administrator's flexibility, it does empower him to brand all of our
humanitarian assistance.
It also expands the tools and logos available to the Administrator
for implementing a comprehensive branding strategy.
Finally, it requires an audit by the agency's inspector general to
ensure that our personnel are complying with branding regulations.
This bill represents smart diplomacy, good governance, and the true
compassion of the American people. I believe it deserves our unanimous
support.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Engel again for working with
me, as usual, on this bill as well as many others, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, let me again thank my friend, Ranking Member McCaul, for
his leadership on this bill.
One of the things that makes American foreign policy unique is that
when we are at our best, our values are at the center of everything we
do. I think one of the most important American values is that we are a
generous and big-hearted country. We invest in development because
development and security go hand-in-hand, but also because it is the
right thing to do. It allows more people to live fuller, healthier,
more prosperous lives.
We should take credit for that. We should let people know it is the
United States extending a hand of friendship and assistance. That is
the goal that this bill is pursuing.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to support this bill, I encourage all Members
to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2744.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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