Krishnamoorthi on Secretary Rubio's Foreign Assistance Freeze: "The United States must double down on foreign assistance—not kneecap ourselves"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released the following statement on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to freeze all foreign assistance with the exception of a waiver for lifesaving humanitarian assistance. 

“Foreign assistance is a cornerstone to our national security, and contributes enormously to world peace and stability in the face of the challenge posed by the CCP. 

“Secretary Rubio’s waiver for lifesaving humanitarian assistance in his abrupt freeze of all foreign assistance is not enough. While periodic review of foreign assistance programs’ contribution to U.S. national security is necessary, abruptly freezing any foreign assistance directly cedes ground to our foremost adversary: the CCP.

“At a time when the CCP is aggressively investing abroad, rerouting supply chains, and buying authoritarian favor, the United States must double down on foreign assistance—not kneecap ourselves. For the sake of U.S. national security, I urge the Trump Administration to revoke its Executive Order “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid” and call on Secretary Rubio to restart all obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds.”

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