Cindy Hyde-Smith Presses Russell Vought On USAID Cuts & Rescission Package

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) questioned OMB Director Russell Vought about cuts to USAID.

Transcript

00:00Thank you. Senator Hyde-Smith. Thank you, Madam Chairman and Vice Chairman, and certainly thank

00:05you for the witness that we have today. And I just want to commend the administration's work

00:11to rein in the federal spending, and I support the goals of putting this nation's fiscal

00:16house back in order. So thank you for what you're doing. While mandatory spending is the biggest

00:22contributor to our annual budget deficits and the overall national debt, discretionary spending

00:28should not be exempt from scrutiny. And we should always be examining ways to reduce unnecessary

00:35expense to American taxpayers. So I applaud your efforts and support you in that. I, too,

00:43would like to discuss the recommendation to rescind the $2.5 billion of the $3.9 billion

00:49appropriations of FY 2025 for USAID Development Assistance Account. The Development Assistance

00:57Account is intended to fund programs that help end extreme poverty, promote resilience and support

01:03democratic societies. In practice, however, some of those funds haven't been used wisely

01:09and met their intent. They have not done that. But I want to bring to your attention an example

01:16of how Development Assistance Funds are being put to good use. This is specific to Mississippi,

01:23Mississippi, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish, or Fish Innovation Lab at Mississippi State

01:29University. Mississippi raises more catfish than any state in the country. We do it well, and we've had

01:36a lot of experience doing that. Since 2018, Mississippi State's Fish Initiative Innovation Lab has advanced

01:45U.S. economy, security, and trade interests through its works to promote global food security,

01:50improve livelihoods, and strengthen the resiliency of aquatic food production in developing nations.

01:57The lab's work truly illustrates the proverb, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day,

02:05teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. This is exactly what the MSU Fish Innovation Lab

02:13is doing. Rather than giving other countries food, we are teaching them how to feed themselves through

02:19modern aquaculture practices. Mr. Director, the recessions package states that enacting the proposed

02:29USAID Development Assistance Recession would align remaining funds with appropriate priorities.

02:37Would you consider the Mississippi State University Fish Innovation Lab an appropriate priority?

02:43Thank you, Senator, for the question. We will still have $5 billion nearly in this funding for priorities

02:52and programs like this, of which this will be protected. So we have no desire in this rescission

02:57package to touch that funding that seems to be so successful.

03:03Great. And I would love to invite you and your staff down to make a trip to the lab to learn more about

03:09that great work that they are doing. And just to want to invite you there. And I appreciate you working

03:17with me on this particular subject, because it is money well spent and a great program.

03:22Thank you, Senator. Thank you. Senator Merck.