Quotes
It's heavily ironic that you see Jamie Raskin and others speaking in these constitutional terms when, functionally, USAID has been operating outside congressional oversight and specific appropriations as to what they are doing for decades,
added Howell
I think everyone in the world knows exactly what USAID is, no matter what part of the political spectrum they are on,
Mike Howell, executive director of the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project, told the Washington Examiner, echoing the White House’s critiquesEvery (diplomatic) mission has a certain amount of budget that they get from headquarters to spend on these things, and since this was unplanned, no one’s clear on where the money is actually going to come from and how it’s going to be paid for,
he explained
I cannot say for sure whether they [the embassy] are responsible for my safety and evacuation, if needed,
a USAID contractor posted in a dangerous location echoedMy scary panic button appears to be working, but I have not yet confirmed with security — the app is tied to my USAID email which is deactivated,
they told CNN, noting they have heard from colleagues in other hotspotsWith my contracting arrangement, I’m responsible for paying my hotel bill (at a hotel I am obliged to stay at) and expenses and seeking reimbursement and per diem thereafter — due to the uncertainty around my contract status, I am unsure if and how I will be able to seek reimbursement,
the USAID official in a dangerous location saidIt’s beyond surreal. It feels like a cruel joke,
said another USAID official posted in a sensitive locationIt is a shameful, vile, unprecedented way to treat public servants, whose safety is at stake following vicious, defamatory Musk statements,
one USAID official saidWe are all emotionally distraught,
one USAID diplomat posted overseas told CNNWe’re talking at least $20 million, if not more, to get all those folks back here to America,
he saidThere’s been no explanation as to how to make this happen,
he said
While we don’t agree on all issues, we wholeheartedly agree that USAID and America’s foreign assistance programs are vital to our interests, that the career men and women of USAID have served each of us well, and that it is the duty of the Administration and Congress to swiftly protect the Agency’s statutory role,
wrote Samantha Power, Gayle Smith, Andrew Natsios, J. Brian Atwood and Peter McPhersonFailure to maintain the global engagement that foreign aid enables, to honor the men and women of our civilian service as we do those in the military, or weaken and even destroy the Agency is to the benefit of neither political party and the detriment of all Americans,
they wroteUSAID may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus, and offices into the Department of State, and the remainder of the Agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law,
he told lawmakers earlier this weekThank you for your service.”
A statement posted on USAID’s website concludes with the message
[USAID is] a foreign policy tool with bipartisan origins that is critical in this dangerous global environment,
New Jersey Senator Andy Kim wrote on social mediaDuring the period that you are on administrative leave you are not to enter USAID premises, access USAID systems, or attempt to use your position or authority with USAID in any way without my prior permission or prior permission of a supervisor in your chain of command,
Marocco says in the letter
Agency personnel normally assigned to work at these USAID properties should telework this week,
the email saidYou will remain on administrative leave with pay until otherwise notified,
the notice states
Sounds like it.” ... Look at all the fraud that he’s found in this USAID,
When a reporter told President Donald Trump on Tuesday ... the president said of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire leading the Department of Governmental Efficiency