[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H617-H618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FOREIGN AID AND NATIONAL SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Subcommittee on Military 
and Foreign Affairs, I rise in strong opposition to executive actions 
taken by the Trump administration to shut down U.S. foreign assistance 
and undermine America's national security.
  Over the past two decades, I have led multiple bipartisan 
congressional delegations to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, 
Ukraine, Somalia, and Gaza, as well as other conflict zones. These 
oversight missions have examined the implementation of U.S. foreign 
assistance firsthand, precisely because the security and humanitarian 
aid that we provide to our international partners is critical to 
advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy priorities around 
the world.
  Recent executive actions taken by the Trump administration 
demonstrate a blatant disregard for the important role that foreign aid 
serves in keeping America, including American servicemembers who are 
deployed in these conflict zones, safe.
  In the first major foreign policy action of his new term, President 
Trump issued an indiscriminate stop order, suspending U.S. foreign 
assistance for at least 3 months. That includes the suspension of 
security and military aid to Ukraine which is entering the fourth year 
of its fight for independence against the brutal and unlawful invasion 
ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022. Our continued 
support for Ukraine is vital to the ability of the U.S. and our NATO 
allies to deter escalating Russian aggression across Europe.
  The order also freezes aid to Taiwan which remains the target of 
Chinese military incursions that threaten peace and stability in a 
region where nearly 400,000 U.S. military and civil personnel are 
deployed in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. To make matters 
worse, the Trump administration has halted all mine removal programs 
led by the State Department in more than 125 countries.
  During oversight visits to Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other 
areas where former battlefields are littered with antipersonnel 
explosive devices, I have directly observed the partnership between 
U.S. agencies and nongovernmental organizations such as The HALO Trust 
and the Lebanese Mine Action Center who work together to remove 
landmines, cluster munitions, and other ordnance for the safety of 
local populations and American diplomatic and military personnel.
  This week, I will be introducing the Global Demining Protection Act, 
endorsed by The HALO Trust, to exempt demining programs from the 
ongoing ban on foreign aid.
  Most recently, the Trump administration launched a full-scale attack 
on USAID, an independent agency duly established and annually funded by 
Congress. The fundamental mission of this agency and its global 
workforce of more than 10,000 dedicated employees is to promote stable 
democracies abroad in the interest of U.S. national security.
  First, top USAID security officers were removed for rightfully 
refusing to grant billionaire Elon Musk and his so-called DOGE team 
access to sensitive personnel files and classified systems.
  Next, President Trump attempted to place all directly hired USAID 
employees on administrative leave, including those who are deployed 
overseas.
  Thankfully, a Federal district judge has issued a temporary 
restraining order, preventing the administration from placing employees 
on leave or evacuating them from overseas assignments. In Mr. Musk's 
words: ``USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.''
  The agency that he is desperate to kill without congressional 
approval is one whose development mission in more than a hundred 
conflict countries is designed to prevent the root causes of global 
violence and extremism, including famine, civil war, and human rights 
abuses. That is why the nonpartisan American Foreign Service 
Association reports that development is the most important tool in our 
national security toolbox.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
oppose these

[[Page H618]]

reckless actions in the interest of the safety and security of every 
American.

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