J Street is gravely concerned about the White House’s illegal power grab attempting to dismantle USAID and US foreign assistance, a relatively miniscule part of the federal budget that is critical to keeping Americans safe and protecting US interests at home and abroad.
The effects of this illegal power grab by the White House would immediately destabilize already fraught regions around the world, including the Middle East. Withdrawing humanitarian and security support in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank threatens to undermine two fragile ceasefires that are keeping millions of civilians safe and preventing a return to war and chaos.
“Trump and Musk’s illegal power grab targeting USAID is a five-alarm fire for anyone who cares about the safety and security of the State of Israel,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “If foreign aid that has already been authorized and funded by Congress is not immediately resumed, a peaceful Middle East could be in jeopardy. This egregious executive overreach flies in the face of how the rule of law and separation of powers in the United States work. Congress and the courts, as co-equal branches of government, must step up, reassert their constitutional roles and ensure that foreign assistance programs resume without delay.”
US foreign assistance advances regional security at every level. Funding for emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza appropriated through the National Security Supplemental, is essential to sustaining the ceasefire and getting the remaining hostages out. Military and humanitarian aid to Lebanon helps sustain the ceasefire with Israel and bolster the new government against Hezbollah. For peacebuilding projects under the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace, or military and economic assistance to Jordan – an invaluable partner to the United States and Israel – US aid remains a critical pillar of our, and Israel’s, security.
To that end, we urge Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lindsey Graham, and Ranking Member Senator Brian Schatz to immediately request committee hearings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to: 1) demand answers on the impact and implementation of these policies, that the Administration respect the role of Congress and reverse course on the dismantling of USAID; 2) clarify who in the Administration is fact is in charge — whether it be President Trump or Musk or himself and; 3) clarify the process for approving and expediting spending on projects critical for US national security.
This deliberate abdication of US leadership on the world stage would have devastating consequences for US interests at a critical moment when our adversaries are aggressively seeking to expand their global influence at America’s expense. History has shown time and again that when the US retreats, our adversaries fill the void and Americans are less safe.
We will do everything we can, along with our partners, to press the Trump Administration to change course. We must ensure that any actions taken with respect to USAID are consistent with existing legislation regarding reorganization, which prohibits the elimination of the Agency. We urge the American Jewish community, Members of Congress and beyond to press for a swift reversal of these outrageous actions before they do irreparable harm to US interests.