Joaquin Castro Slams Trump Admin Claiming They’ve ‘Abused’ Their Relationship With Congress

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During Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) pressed experts and State Department Officials about the Trump Administration's department reorganization and relationship with Congress.

Transcript

00:00Thanks, Chairman. I've served on this committee for, well, since I got into Congress in January

00:06of 2013 and have always supported a comprehensive authorization of the State Department. Doing so

00:12is a core responsibility of this committee and is our best opportunity to strengthen American

00:16leadership and diplomacy. And this committee has, in recent years, been successful in passing and

00:21enacting authorizing legislation to do just this. I've had the opportunity to contribute meaningful

00:27legislation now enacted to strengthen the State Department, USAID, and the Foreign Service. In

00:33drafting this legislation, though, there's always a balance that we strike. The language must be

00:38specific enough to set direction of the department, but flexible enough for our diplomats and foreign

00:43assistance professionals to implement the laws in an ever-changing international landscape.

00:48This has, for decades, been a careful balance built on trust and good faith between each Congress and

00:53each administration. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has abused this relationship

00:59and dynamic. The Congress has, for decades, authorized specific programs and agencies. USAID,

01:07the Inter-American Foundation, the U.S. African Development Foundation, the United States Institute

01:13of Peace, the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Bipartisan laws have established each of these agencies

01:19and their programs. Laws continue to direct funding for these agencies and their programs. In each of

01:26these cases, the administration has directed the agencies to reduce operations to, quote,

01:31minimum required by statute, essentially closing the agencies down. They have abused the flexibility

01:39afforded by the law to essentially terminate these programs. An authorization to do something

01:46without a requirement that it specifically be done is being interpreted as permission to ignore

01:52congressional intent and refuse to undertake the activity. In the current environment, if the

01:59Congress wants the law to be enacted, it seems the language must be very specific and bind the hands

02:05of our diplomats so that they have no flexibility. So I wanted to ask Ambassadors Jeffrey and Hale,

02:12how effective do you think our diplomats would be if the laws provide the department little to no

02:18flexibility because the Congress cannot trust the President of the United States to faithfully execute

02:24the laws of the United States? The Secretary of State and his or her subordinates need a considerable

02:33amount of flexibility to carry out the intent of Congress. I don't want to get into what is,

02:41you know, in the middle of a very partisan and hot debate, what I would say is it's very important

02:47that Congress not just authorize an activity or an agency, but state what the goals are in general terms.

02:55We can then operate in terms of what the military calls troops to task to figure out how to do that,

03:01what the procedures are, what kind of people we need. But general guidance, in some detail,

03:07is always good to know which direction you're going. And again, the trafficking in people,

03:13it was very clear that Congress wanted us to put an end to this. And we've done a pretty good job.

03:21Ambassador?

03:22Yeah, no, I would agree very much. And I would also, you know, underscore what state the obvious that,

03:29you know, the world changes. Foreign policy's constant needs to be nimble and adroit and able to respond to

03:35emerging problems that we didn't anticipate. Maybe we should have, maybe we shouldn't have, but we didn't.

03:39And we need to be able to have a consultation with you all here on the Hill about those emerging

03:44and changing threats and opportunities as well, and make sure that we have the flexibility we need,

03:50but also we're connected to you. And it's not just a matter of when you have your confirmation hearing

03:56or when you're called up for a very formal event, but the ongoing consultations with members and staff.

04:01Sure. Well, USAID, the Inter-American Foundation, the U.S. African Development Foundation,

04:08the United States Institute of Peace, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation have all been established by law

04:14and have existing valid authorizations. Yet the administration has moved to eliminate all of these entities.

04:22It has abused and exploited the difference between the spirit or the gap between the spirit

04:28and the letter of the law. And so far, this committee and this Congress have allowed the president

04:36and the administration to do that. Perhaps we'll see in the coming years, but forever resetting the

04:44balance of power and control between the executive branch and the president and this Congress.

04:49That is going on in real time right now. This committee and this Congress are surrendering

04:56influence and control over our diplomacy to the president of the United States. I yield back.

05:03Thank you, Representative.

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